Sloppy Steelers playoff hopes take another hit with loss to Patriots
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PITTSBURGH (AP) The Pittsburgh Steelers had an opportunity to create some separation in the race for an AFC wild-card spot.Instead, they came crashing back to the pack and saw their playoff hopes take a serious hit with consecutive home lo ses to two-win teams in five days. The latest, a 21-18 setback against New England on Thursday night in which the Steelers fell into a second-quarter 18-point hole and couldnt recover. https://www.collegejerseyedge.com/Cameron_Artis_Payne_Jersey Obviously, this stings, but well be back, coach Mike Tomlin said.Pittsburgh (7-6) is the first team above .500 in NFL history to lose consecutive games to teams both at least eight games below .500. Pittsburgh began December atop the race for the top wild-card spot in the AFC.ADVERTISEMENT The Steelers were sloppy Sunday ing an uninspiring 14-point lo s against rebuilding Arizona. On Thursday, Bailey Zappe threw three first-half touchdown pa ses and New England (3-10) snapped a five-game losing streak.I have to play better, Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky said. I feel like I let the guys down. Its disappointing. I didnt play https://www.collegejerseyedge.com/Alvin_Kamara_Jersey good enough to win.Trubisky made his first start in nearly a year for Pittsburgh in place of the injured Kenny Pickett, who is out indefinitely after undergoing right ankle surgery.But Trubisky, despite a late second-half surge, couldnt make a difference, as he finished 22 of 35 for 190 yards. He had a rushing and pa sing touchdown, but also threw an interception that led to a Patriots touchdown in the second https://www.collegejerseyedge.com/Desmond_King_Jersey quarter.I thought he got better as the game went on, Tomlin said. Obviously, it wasnt the type of start we needed.The Steelers, after averaging 171 yards rushing the last five games, managed just 82 yards on the ground against New England, the NFLs No. 3-ranked run defense. Trubisky was the Steelers leading rusher with 30 yards. Najee Harris ran for 29 yards on 12 carries and Jaylen Warren had 11 yards on seven touches.The Steelers saw a brief flash of what its offense could be in a 421-yard outburst during a victory over Cincinnati on Nov. 26, a game played just days after firing https://www.collegejerseyedge.com/Ann_Arbor_Jersey offensive coordinator Matt Canada. But the same inconsistencies that plagued the Steelers during their lo s to Arizona just five days earlier resurfaced, as an inability to sustain drives, penalties and a poorly-timed turnover contributed to another home upset lo s to a two-win team.Pittsburgh went 3 for 14 on third down and 1 for 3 on fourth down, including a deep pa s to a well-covered Diontae Johnson on fourth-and-2 at midfield with le s than two minutes to play.We play to win, Tomlin said. We wanted to be aggre sive. We just didnt get it done.Trubisky got the Steelers within striking distance with a 25-yard touchdown pa s to Johnson late in the second quarter, and a 1-yard sneak with 11:44 to play that brought Pittsburgh within three points, but it wasnt enough.We played like crap in https://www.collegejerseyedge.com/Martrell_Spaight_Jersey the first half, Trubisky said. We did better in the second half to give us a chance, but I have to play better. Thats the bottom line.___AP NFL: