Mike Tomlin’s teams have almost always been good in primetime football for the nearly two decades that he’s been the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach. This season is a big departure from that trend with an 0-3 record under the lights with the whole nation watching.
Tomlin summed it up bluntly after the Steelers’ 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
“We stunk it up tonight,” he said via the Steelers’ YouTube. “We’ll be back.”
His frustration showed during his post-game press conference, and that frustration is shared by everybody who cares about the team. The Steelers finally fixed some of their defensive woes, and now the offense is looking the worst it has in years. It’s a twisted game of whack-a-mole that seems to always ensure the team isn’t playing well in all three phases.
The offense only managed 221 yards and turned the ball over twice (with a third turnover on special teams). And the Steelers couldn’t possess the ball, converting just two of their 11 attempts. Both of those conversions came in garbage time on the final drive of the game with the Steelers trailing 25-3. Statistically, it was one of the worst games of Rodgers’ career.
The defense played well for most of the game, but spending over 37 minutes on the field finally caught up with it late. The Chargers hit explosive plays to break the game open in the second half.
“We as an offensive collective were off today, and certainly [Rodgers is] a component of that,” Tomlin said. “We certainly gotta be better. Didn’t feel like they did anything unanticipated, but certainly they outperformed us particularly in possession-down play.”
Sometimes losses can be pinned on schematics, and sometimes execution. Sunday night was a good example of poor execution. The first half had a half dozen plays that could have changed the entire texture of the game had they been made. Joey Porter Jr. dropped an interception, and Rodgers sailed a pass over DK Metcalf for what could have been an early touchdown. Those are just two of several examples.
Ultimately, the Steelers stunk it up. Now they have to wash it off fast.
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