Fautanu-less Steelers hope for recovery week ahead of preseason game against Buffalo | News, Sports, Jobs

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, center, watches from the sideline during the second half of an NFL preseason game against the Houston Texans, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

By DAN SCIFO Associated Press

LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin called his team’s preseason loss at home to Houston last week a “sloppy” performance riddled with inconsistencies and mistakes.

Tomlin said his team’s response during the final week of training camp practices at St. Vincent College will go a long way toward defining how the group responds to adversity.

“There are some things we need to do better, some things we need to adjust,” Tomlin said. “It might happen, obviously, in the first preseason game, but it’s not something we take comfort in. We worked too hard to get the results we got, so it’s disappointing.”

Tackle Troy Fautanu, the Steelers’ first-round pick, will miss the week of practice and the team’s next home game Saturday against Buffalo because of a sprained knee. Tomlin said he’s “optimistic” about a quick return but plans to take Fautanu’s injury “day by day.”

Fautanu, the 20th overall pick, had a brace on his left knee after Friday’s game against Houston. He entered during the second offensive series and played the first and second quarters at right tackle.

“He was doing really well,” Tomlin said. “We wanted to give him a lot of work because that’s where he’s at in his development, but I like the overall trajectory.”

Last Friday, Houston’s first two touchdowns came on a Pittsburgh foul and a special teams turnover. Meanwhile, two of Pittsburgh’s first three drives crossed midfield, but were slowed by a sack and a fumble on a botched exchange between center and quarterback.

“You can’t play football like that and think you’re going to win,” Tomlin said. “It’s amazing that we had the ball in a game that ended with a score at the end, considering those things.”

Justin Fields completed 5 of 6 passes for 67 yards, but fumbled near midfield on the opening drive and the series ended with a punt. He fumbled on the first snap of a three-play drive and was sacked at the Houston 36-yard line, ending a promising eight-play drive.

“It’s hard to put together a drive when you lose the ball and you’re on second and 13 and you’re behind the goalposts,” Fields said. “Self-inflicted wounds are the only thing that hurt us, especially when I was in the game.”

Prior to the Texans’ second offensive series, Dez Fitzpatrick was penalized for going out of bounds unblocked on a 22-yard punt return, giving Houston possession at the Pittsburgh 36-yard line. Texans quarterback CJ Stroud quickly took advantage of the situation when he threw a pass to Tank Dell, who dodged a pair of missed tackles in the secondary for a 34-yard touchdown.

Pittsburgh tried to tie the game in the second quarter but failed to do so after four attempts from inside the 5-yard line. Three consecutive runs brought the Steelers to the 2-yard line, but on fourth down, Kyle Allen was unable to handle a pass from Calvin Austin III who was completely open in the back corner of the end zone.

“Sometimes as an offense you just don’t want to beat yourself,” Allen said. “A lot of people are getting used to getting back on the field, for some it’s their first time… it’s to be expected in the first game, but I think we wanted to execute better as an offense.”

However, it wasn’t just the offense that struggled. On the Texans’ next drive, Quez Watkins fumbled a punt that was recovered by Houston at the Pittsburgh 30-yard line. The Texans reached the end zone six plays later to take a 14-0 lead.

Watkins had a makeup drill on Sunday. He caught a deep pass from Fields down the sideline and then caught a 16-yard touchdown during the two-minute drill.

“He needed a day today,” Tomlin said of Watkins.

The Steelers did not practice with pads on Sunday, but Tomlin was pleased with the workout. He’s more interested in how his players will perform next Saturday against Buffalo.

“There’s no substitute for experience,” Tomlin said. “The rookies got some experience last Friday and we’re leaning on their work this week and expecting them to be much better in their next opportunity.”

___

AP NFL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NFL