It seems Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was just as confused as fans on Christmas when Russell Wilson threw an interception against the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Certainly my preference would be Russ to not throw the ball to Muth right there,” said Tomlin on The Mike Tomlin Show via Steelers.com.
For those who don’t remember, allow me to bring back some bad memories. Trailing 13-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Steelers finally started to get some offensive momentum. A long 41-yard pass to George Pickens flipped the field, which Jaylen Warren quickly cut deeper into after a 22 yard run. Warren would eventually find the endzone, only for a penalty to send them back. Shortly after came the aforementioned play where Wilson threw an easy interception to the Chiefs safety Justin Reid when targeting Pat Freiermuth.
The play was then the focus of controversy after the game with Wilson saying he expected Pickens to run a different route, which would have lured away Reid. Nonetheless, that isn’t what happened and it apparently is something Tomlin wishes Wilson would have recognized.
Tomlin did take the time to also acknowledge that Reid made a good play, splitting the two receivers and making a play on the ball.
“Gotta give their safety some credit,” said Tomlin. “He did a nice job showing half field coverage on the weak side, two over one and then showing up where he needed to be to make a timely interception.”
In the interview Tomlin spoke about the turnover battle and how the team prides itself on creating turnovers to make more possession opportunities for the team. Recently, he says, they have been losing the turnover battle, causing their three loss streak.
“We’ve constructed losses by not taking care of the ball… it’s verification of what we always already know, but sometimes as individuals and a collective, you need visible, tangible reminders of building blocks of why you do business a certain way.”
If the Steelers are going to get back on track, cutting down on the ill-afforded turnovers like Wilson’s interception against the Chiefs and instead begin to cash in on turnovers of their own.
