Not every player, coach and team can shine. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the more unremarkable moments and performances from Week 4:
Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff: Going into Sunday Mike Tomlin had a dominant 23-4 record against rookie quarterbacks. That fact did not matter to Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud as he dominated the Steelers highly paid defense to help his team roll to a second straight win. It was a truly embarrassing showing by the Steelers, and especially from their coaching staff.
Mike Tomlin decided to kick a field goal down 17-3 inside the red zone on fourth and short, Matt Canada called a baffling play on fourth-and-one that resulted in starting quarterback Kenny Pickett getting injured, and the Steelers defense was never able to catch up to what the Texans were doing offensively. Pittsburgh was unprepared and outcoached all day.
Ron Rivera, head coach, Washington Commanders: Ron Rivera used to be known as “Riverboat Ron” for his willingness to roll the dice and take big gambles, but he did not display that sort of assertiveness on Sunday when the Commanders scored a touchdown on the final play of regulation. Instead of going for two points and the win, Rivera decided to kick the extra point and play for overtime where his team would end up losing on a Jake Elliott field goal.
Why did he not go for two? Because he thought his offense was “gassed” after the touchdown drive. That is not really a good reason, and it is a poor reflection on his team’s conditioning if a 60-yard drive gassed them.
Mac Jones, QB, New England Patriots. It is becoming increasingly clear that Mac Jones is probably not the guy that is going to get the Patriots back to a Super Bowl contending level. He played another dreadful game on Sunday in a 38-3 loss where he handed the Dallas Cowboys 14 points on a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and a dreadful pick six late in the second quarter.