Mike Tomlin Rips Steelers’ ‘JV Football’ Performance Before Patriots Game

The New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers each need a bounce back performance when they meet in primetime to start Week 14.

The two AFC rivals go head-to-head in Pittsburgh on Thursday night, getting back on the field after a short week.

The Patriots lost their fifth-straight game in Week 13 in a lackluster 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium. In Pittsburgh, quarterback Kenny Pickett departed with an injury as the Steelers fell to the Arizona Cardinals in a 24-10 defeat.

At 7-5, Pittsburgh remains in the AFC playoff race, so a loss to an Arizona team that is in the mix for the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft became impactful. After losing by two touchdowns, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin made his thoughts on the loss extremely clear.

“That was a horrible day at the office,” Tomlin said after the game, per a team-provided video. “We didn’t do much right. in that game, to be quite honest with you.”

The longtime head coach highlighted penalties and lack of execution among the major takeaways from a rough performance from the Steelers.

“Just JV football in a lot of ways,” Tomlin added.

Both New England and Pittsburgh will each likely start backup quarterbacks on Thursday night, after the Patriots benched Mac Jones and Pickett was injured on Sunday. That sets up a duel between Bailey Zappe and Mitch Trubisky.

The Patriots and Steelers kickoff in Pittsburgh on Thursday night at 8:15 p.m.