'Looks Like Tomlin Is Still There': Andrew Whitworth 'Out' On Steelers After Week 1

While it wasn’t pretty, the Pittsburgh Steelers started this season 1-0 after beating the Atlanta Falcons. The Steelers’ offense wasn’t as impressive as many people were hoping it would be, but the defense carried Pittsburgh to a 20-13 win. Despite the Steelers winning that game, former NFL offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth got a case of deja vu while watching them.

And not in a good way.

“I’m gonna sell the Steelers,” Whitworth said Thursday on his Fitz and Whit podcast. “The reality is, to me, it was the same old BS. This looks like [Mike] Tomlin is still there. T.J. Watt for an interception at the end of the game to win by seven…For me, it was a lot of one-on-one football…It looks like the same stuff. It’s a little bit of Aaron [Rodgers’] script. It wasn’t as clean as I was hoping…

“I’ve gotta see this offense be the reason, and how elite and dominant they are, to think that this is a team that’s gonna contend. I knew they were gonna have a good defense. But the reality is the quarterback they faced is a third stringer who was having back spasms, and we’re still playing a one-score game at home. We’ve gotta be able to dominate somebody. You’ve gotta show me more. I’m out.”

Pittsburgh’s Week 1 win was reminiscent of Tomlin’s time with the team. The offense looked anemic, with Chris Boswell often being called upon to put points on the board. Meanwhile, the defense stood tall and did everything it could to win that game, including Watt scoring the eventual game-winning touchdown in spectacular fashion.

However, it feels like an overreaction to give up on the Steelers so soon. Week 1 can be weird sometimes. For example, the New England Patriots lost to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1 last season. The Patriots ultimately won the AFC while the Raiders were the worst team in the league.

Also, the Steelers didn’t look like the exact same team as last year. They have a new defensive scheme with Tomlin gone, and Patrick Graham’s influence was already evident in Week 1. Pittsburgh’s defense looks like it could cause problems for opponents this year.

The Steelers need to be better offensively, but they had chances to have a bigger day against the Falcons. DK Metcalf had a bad game, and the officials missed a few obvious penalties on Atlanta’s defense. If even one of those things is different, then people might be having a different conversation about the Steelers.

Giving up on a 1-0 team feels silly. Yes, the Falcons aren’t the highest level of competition. However, the Steelers won the game, despite their own flaws. Had they blown the Falcons out, would that suddenly make them Super Bowl contenders? No, because it’s only the first game of the season.

There are some conclusions to be drawn, but the book isn’t written on any team after Week 1. And the Steelers have an opportunity to prove their doubters wrong this week. They’ll travel to face the defending AFC champion Patriots. If they win that game, perhaps they’ll be taken more seriously.