Not long ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were feeling good coming off an impressive shootout win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Even overcoming some adversity, they went blow for blow with one of the top offenses in the league. There were defensive issues, but they came together and won. How does Mike Tomlin get them back to that point?
“Take care of the football and stay on schedule”, Tomlin said Monday during his weekly press conference, via the Steelers’ website. “I think when we stay on the schedule and we take care of the football, we’re a formidable group and at times, particularly in the last several weeks, we’ve been spotty in those regards.
“We value protecting the ball. We value getting the ball. We’re going to continue to live that life. We’re going to continue to emphasize it, not only in our words, but in our physical action leading up to performance”. He added, again, that the Steelers have always done that, though.
During the Steelers’ three-game losing streak, they have only recorded three takeaways versus five giveaways. They still rank first in the NFL in the former in spite of the fall-off but are now 10th in giveaways. Getting the ball back and protecting it was a part of the Steelers’ foundation for success. They lost their way during their losing streak, suffering a minus-two turnover differential at home against the Chiefs.
It was just the fifth time this season that the Steelers lost the turnover battle, and the second by two. The first time Mike Tomlin’s team lost the turnover margin by two, they lost to Joe Flacco and the Colts. At least losing to Patrick Mahomes is a little more palatable, even if it came in embarrassing fashion.
Despite the losing streak, Tomlin says his approach in handling his Steelers doesn’t change. “I coach them the exact same way that I’ve coached them in that regard all year”, he said. “We’ve had that agenda all year, and largely it’s been good for us. We didn’t wane in terms of the agenda. The production has not been what we wanted it to be, but it doesn’t mean that we change our approach to business or our values”.
As you might recall, the Steelers did have opportunities that they failed to take advantage of, particularly with loose balls. Even when they recovered fumbles, as against the Eagles, they didn’t exploit the quick-change opportunities. And then there were the uncharacteristic turnovers, particularly by Russell Wilson and Najee Harris. One could take these reversals of the norm as reason for optimism moving forward. Mike Tomlin certainly intends to.
