Pittsburgh’s 24-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals was absolutely brutal. An arrogant, undisciplined, and unprepared team got embarrassed at home to a team that had won 2 games all season prior to Sunday.

In the midst of the battle, quarterback Kenny Pickett went down with an ankle injury, and did not return to the game.

Backup quarterback Mitch Trubisky took over for the fallen Pickett and finished the game. Trubisky finished the game 11/17 for 117 yards and a touchdown pass late in the game.

The former second overall pick of the Chicago Bears back in 2017 came to Pittsburgh prior to last season, and began 2022 as the starter for the Steelers.

Straddled with Matt Canada as his offensive coordinator and constantly looking over his shoulder with a first round pick waiting in the wings, Trubisky lasted all but 3.5 games as the starter, being benched at halftime in Week 4 in favor of Pickett.

After that, Trubisky came in for relief of an injured Pickett three times last season. Pickett went down with concussions during games in Week 6 and Week 14 last season, and missed Week 15 with his second concussion.

In those three games, Trubisky went a combined 48/64 (75% completion percentage) for 599 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. It’s important to note that all 3 of those interceptions came against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14.

This season, however, his relief work has been much less impressive. Granted, he has not started a game this season. His stats give a slightly deceptive outlook on his overall play. The yards don’t look bad (in comparison to Kenny Pickett), but Trubisky’s play has simply felt worse this year in the backup role.

I wrote in a piece on Monday that Trubisky this season felt like the starter-version of Trubisky last year. He doesn’t have that same kind of “F it, I’ll just do whatever,” attitude on the field like he did last year after he was benched.

That style of play results in a mixed bag, but if he plays his cards right, he can engineer a victory like he did last year against Tampa Bay.

This year, he’s seemingly reverted back to his former Steelers self, and Pittsburgh. needs more than that right now.

Mike Tomlin seemed very confident in Trubisky’s ability to fill in for Pickett, pointing out that Trubisky has been in the shoes of a franchise quarterback before in Chicago. Tomlin said that Trubisky was the unquestioned starter for Thursday night’s game at home vs the New England Patriots.

Now, Mitch has to prove that he can do the job well, and it could not come at a more important time.

After the loss vs Arizona, a loss against another 2-win team in New England Patriots all but kills the season. In the AFC playoff race, the Steelers stumbled into a miracle to still be holding the fifth seed. Three teams behind them have the same exact 7-5 record heading into Week 14.

This is the definition of a must-win game for Pittsburgh, and because they’re the Steelers, there’s literally no guarantee Thursday results in a win.

But looking even beyond Thursday (which the Steelers cannot afford to do again), this is is Mitch Trubisky’s chance at a Steel City redemption arc.

This fan base was pretty divided heading into the start of last season about who should be the starter. Trubisky had a lot of people in his corner back then, and he had the faith of the coaching staff back then as well.

Over last season however, both of those things evaporated. Now, even still with some supporters left, his uninspiring relief appearances have led to a record-low faith in the Steelers’ version of Trubisky.

In addition to that, his built-in flaws make most fans skeptical that he can lead this team down the stretch. The Steelers play a conservative game plan. They play safe with the ball.

“Don’t turn it over, don’t turn it over, don’t turn it over,” is what they have hammered into their offense ever since the departure of Ben Roethlisberger. With Trubisky at the helm, things will change.

Trubisky has historically had issues reading a defense. It heavily maligns his decision making, evident when he throws into double or even triple coverage. He’s not afraid to throw the football deep down the field, but his style often leads to more interceptions than his comparison in Pickett.

But, to Mitch’s benefit, he is the best quarterback on the roster in terms of pure athletic ability. He is a legitimate threat to take off and run. He’s not Lamar Jackson, but he is more mobile than Kenny Pickett.

Perhaps the Steelers can design some schemes to get him moving a little, and unlike Pickett, Trubisky doesn’t have the habit of rolling to his left to try and get a look.

If you read a lot into what certain players on the roster say, Trubisky doesn’t seem like a super popular guy in the locker room.

On Trubisky’s preparation for games, running back Najee Harris said “it’s fine, I guess,” and on Trubisky’s leadership, Harris replied “vocal, I guess.”

The “I guess” part in those is what throw you for a loop, but to Harris’s defense, Trubisky has been very vocal in not always a good way.

Trubisky has often been quick to be critical of the team’s execution and preparation, even when he was on the sideline for the entire game. That could rub some players the wrong way, especially players who have been among the most talked about for execution-related matters, like Harris.

Winning cures everything, however, and if the Steelers can string some wins together, those problems will fade away, like magic.

Trubisky low popularity also extends to a decent chunk of the fan base. Those in the pro-Kenny/anti-Mitch club (they aren’t mutually exclusive) don’t have faith in Trubisky, and would rather see third string quarterback Mason Rudolph in at the position.

Mitch has a chance to win back some fans in this town, as well. Everyone loves a good backup quarterback story. They’re loving the Jake Browning story in Cincinnati right now, Pittsburgh wants one of those too. And in theory, Mitch would already have a leg up, with four years of starter’s experience in Chicago.

This might truly be his last chance at a redemption story with the Steelers. There is tons of talk around getting a new quarterback this offseason, with tons of names in either trade, free agency, or the draft coming up. One name who shows up nowhere, is Mitch Trubisky.

I’m not saying he could play his way back into a full time starter’s role with Pittsburgh over these next few weeks, but he could finish his Steelers tenure with a good run and some happy memories for both him and the fans.

If he succeeds, perhaps he could parlay that into a better chance elsewhere. Or at the very least, into a more positive impression in Pittsburgh.

The stage is set, Mr. Biscuit, it’s your time to shine.

(Featured photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)