Steelers Fall In Mike Tomlin Trap Game

It was a classic, and by classic I mean, it was the classic “Mike Tomlin Trap Game” for the Steelers.  

I know, I know, it's the NFL, any given Sunday any team can beat anyone.  But how often do we see the Steelers just come out and look flat out unprepared?

Games like Sunday’s against the Colts, you could see it coming from a mile away in Pittsburgh.

Every Steelers fan could see it from the first snap of the game.  There was just a feeling of, blah, that the team was oozing.

The preparation seemed non-existent, it appeared as though they were going through the motions, at best.

I don’t know if it all falls at the feet of Mike Tomlin, but at least some of it has to, right?

Last week I wrote that if the Steelers defense was historically dominant, then they could be contenders.

The Steelers defense Sunday looked unprepared and softer than a soggy loaf of bread.

There were gaping holes for the Colts to run through, and the first two touchdown drives looked like a high school JV squad was playing against an NFL team.

On the offensive side of the ball, it appeared that every time Najee Harris touched the ball, he had 8 unblocked Colts defenders in his face.

Now some of Najee’s struggles land on his shoulders, because when Cordarrelle Patterson toted the rock, he was exploding through the line.  

But there still was a ton of immediate pressure in the Steelers backfield.  It disrupted everything.

The Steelers were getting dominated at the line of scrimmage, on both sides of the ball.

Some of that is due to a young offensive line coming into form, but to me, a good amount of that comes from a lack of mental and physical preparation.

My Other Takeaways:

• Can someone please reach out to George Pickens and explain to him that he should not be palming the football like a basketball?

  
  

  This is the downside of Tomlin’s coaching charisma.  Players love to play for him, and I guess that counts for something.  But I’d rather have a coach who is despised by his players, yet his players are fundamentally sound.

  
  

  In Pickens’ 3 years with the Steelers I have lost count of how many times he has carelessly ran with the football in one hand like that.  This time it cost him, and it cost the team dearly.  If he doesn’t change, it will likely cost them again.

  
  

• Did TJ Watt go into witness protection?

  
  

  I know, he can’t wreck the game every week.  But at first look, it didn’t appear that he was having as much of an impact as he usually does, and certainly didn’t step up and make any plays to alter the game.

  
  

  It’s a lot to ask TJ to always carry the team on his shoulders, but that's what superstars do.  If the Steelers want to contend, they’ll need more from Watt.

  
  

• Minkah Fitzpatrick has now gone a disturbing number of games without an interception.

  
  

  Minkah’s last interception came against the Baltimore Ravens at the end of the 2022 season! 

  
  

  You know, the game where Kenny Pickett spun out of the pocket and hit Najee Harris for the game winning TD?  Yea, that one.

  
  

  Now Minkah did miss 7 games in 2023, but it's still been 16 games without an interception.  

  
  

  I am sure Minkah is aware of this, and I would bet it isn’t much longer before he gets one.  God willing, because the team needs it.

  
  

• Tomlin living in his fears.

  
  

  Mike Tomlin probably regrets ever uttering the phrase “living in our fears”, but he seemed to be doing just that again this week.

  
  

  Early on, when the Steelers could have used some points, he opted to not go for a 58 yard field goal with the most accurate kicker in NFL history from 50+ yards, but rather punt.

  
  

  Then on the next drive, he goes for it on 4th down on their own side of the 50 yard line. Putting the Colts in field goal position almost immediately.

  
  

  If he does the opposite of each of those decisions, it's probably a 6 point swing, in a game that the Steelers lost by 3.

  
  

• Can someone take the challenge flag out of Tomlin’s hands?

  
  

  Good lord, he has got to be one of the worst at deciding when to challenge plays.  I don’t even need to look up his success rate.

  
  

  He challenged a catch, seemingly because Joey Porter Jr was claiming the ball hit the ground, only to see on replay that it was not even close to being overturned.

  
  

  Then they faced the 4th down that I mentioned above because Najee Harris had fallen short on 3rd down.  But for my money, it looked like Najee got the first down, and I think a challenge would have been wise there.

  
  

  Can we get a coach who is dedicated to calling down to Mike Tomlin to let him know when he should and shouldn’t throw the red flag? Heck, I'll volunteer!