At the moment, Ben Roethlisberger thought Mike Tomlin made the right call. After stewing on it for 48 hours, he’s no longer so sure. Roethlisberger believes Tomlin and the Steelers should’ve gone for it on 4th-and-9 from their own 23 instead of punting, even if the decision didn’t come back to bite Tomlin.
“At the time, I’m like, you got three timeouts,” Roethlisberger said during his Footbahlin’ podcast with co-host Spencer Te’o. “I get why he’s punting. Your defense is playing well enough that you hope for a three-and-out and get the ball back…but why not take a chance on fourth down? Because if you get it, you keep your timeouts, you keep going.
“If you don’t get it, you still have your timeouts, and you’re trying to stop them anyway.”
Trailing 31-28 with 2:01 left in the fourth quarter and all three timeouts left, Tomlin opted to punt instead of keeping the offense on the field to convert. Corliss Waitman disappointed with a 33-yarder, but the Steelers’ defense did its job. They forced a three-and-out to get the offense the ball back. Initially, Pittsburgh was set to have a timeout after a Chicago incompletion, but an injury to CB James Pierre charged the Steelers with their final one.
Roethlisberger livestreamed the game and reacted in real-time, supporting Tomlin’s choice. His tune has since changed.
“At the time, I was 50-50 on this,” Roethlisberger said during today’s episode. “Whatever you decide. But the more I’ve thought about it, I’m like man, I think I’m more of a 75 [percent] go And 25 [percent] punt.”
That’s not hindsight, either. Tomlin’s plan worked as intended, and he has stood by his decision. Had Pittsburgh not stopped the Bears, allowing Chicago to end the game right there, Tomlin’s decision would have been highlighted and scrutinized. But Roethlisberger still thinks the calculation to go for it was similar to punting.
“If you’re counting on a three-and-out, does it matter where on the field you’re counting on a three-and-out?” he said.
Had Pittsburgh gone for it and failed, the game wouldn’t have been over. A three-and-out would have gotten the Steelers the ball back, presumably down 34-28 after the Bears’ field goal. The difference is that Pittsburgh would’ve needed a touchdown instead of a field goal and would’ve had to drive the length of the field without any timeouts at their disposal. This was a much more difficult path, which supports Tomlin’s decision to punt.
Tomlin has always trusted his defense, so it wasn’t surprising to see him do it again. Roethlisberger’s opinion is understandable and agreeable, especially coming from an offensive player known for his clutch drives. Ultimately, it became a much smaller story than it could’ve been. But if Tomlin makes a similar choice in the future, the outcome may not be what he was banking on.
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