Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth Wants Players To Take Full Accountability After Embarrassing Defeat

It was the second game in the post-Matt Canada era for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They came in as heavy favorites at home against a two-win Arizona Cardinals squad. Unfortunately, it was more of the same from the Mike Tomlin era. Often times, Tomlin's squads have underperformed against these type of teams in past years, and it reared its old head once again in Week 13.

After showing massive improvements in Week 12, the offense took another step backward against a lowly Cardinals defense. They started off decent, which included a deep ball to George Pickens. After they were held to a field goal, the offense was essentially shut down the rest of the day. After the game, via Amanda Godsey, tight end Pat Freiermuth acknowledged Sunday's mistakes were all on the players.

"It has nothing to do with the coordinator. It has everything to do with the players. It’s not the coordinator’s fault that we’re lining up wrong and jumping offsides. It’s not the coordinator’s fault at all, it’s never been. We’ve got to fix it. The players."

That's some accountability and leadership from an offensive player; something that has lacked at times in 2023. Recently, cornerback Patrick Peterson couldn't come up with a concrete answer when the co-host of his podcast, Bryant McFadden, asked who the leader on offense is. Quarterback Kenny Pickett was named a captain for the 2023 season, but he's still in just his second NFL season.

He doesn't quite have the NFL experience yet and while he's taken steps forward in the leadership department, he's still not the main vocal guy in the locker room. After he was the captain in 2022, running back Najee Harris was replaced by Pickett in 2023. Awhile back, Tomlin touted Harris as someone with immense leadership qualities, but that hasn't quite formulated all the way.

Do Steelers Still Lack A Clear Leader On Offense?

With all of that, it's nice to hear a guy like Freiermuth step up and shoulder some blame. Fans have been quick to blame the coaches this season, particularly Matt Canada when he was still in the building. Now that he's gone, there isn't a clear scapegoat for everyone to place the blame on. In the Week 13 loss, the Steelers finished with nine penalties that costed them a total of 77 yards. 

As Tomlin echoed in his press conference on Tuesday, a lot of those were pre-snap penalties. Pre-snap penalties are even more frustrating because players have much more control over those instances. This isn't a high-octane offense that can overcome those penalties either, as it forces them into third-and-long situations. It was an overall lack of discipline from the players in the loss, and it's clear that Tomlin wasn't pleased in his Tuesday press conference. 

It's become a recurring theme with this team and is a big reason why no one takes them seriously in the playoff picture. There were other factors that affected the result of Sunday's contest, including the weather that forced multiple delays. Still, at the end of the day, there are no excuses for getting beat at home against that bad of a team. Freiermuth is making sure there are no excuses from the offensive side of things, and it starts with the players being accountable for their poor performance.

What are your thoughts on Freiermuth's comments after the Week 13 loss? Do you think the offense still lacks a clear leader or is this not as big of a deal as everyone makes it out to be? What went wrong in Sunday's defeat to the Cardinals? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!

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