Locked in a 14-14 game in the third quarter and facing a 4th and 1 near midfield, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin went the conservative route and tried to play the field position game, punting the ball with Corliss Waitman.
The decision backfired in a big way as the Seahawks marched down the field for a go-ahead field goal and then added a quick touchdown on the ensuing kickoff thanks to rookie Kaleb Johnson’s mistake.
Tomlin’s decision to punt in that situation was a cowardly one, according to analytics, but after a 31-17 loss to the Seahawks, Tomlin explained his thought process to reporters.
“It was a 14-14 game. Neither offense was lightning it up to that juncture,” Tomlin said regarding the decision to punt, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “As I mentioned, we had absorbed some attrition on defense, and so I wanted to protect that group and keep them [Seahawks] on the long field.”
With the Steelers already dealing with injuries defensively, seeing Isaiahh Loudermilk and Alex Highsmith exiting the game, and Patrick Queen playing through a rib injury, it’s understandable why Tomlin opted to punt and try to pin Seattle deep in its own territory.
But in that situation, and with his explanation, it would have made more sense for him to go for it on 4th and 1, convert and keep the defense off the field entirely and try to add points in the process.
Instead, Seattle took advantage of the attrition defensively, marching 55 yards in 10 plays, setting up Jason Myers’ go-ahead 54-yard field goal.
Then disaster really struck for the Steelers. Johnson botched the ensuing kickoff return, leading to a Seattle recovery in the end zone for a 24-14 lead, taking the wind out of the Steelers’ sails and all but ending the game.
One week after a huge special teams play went their way leading to a win, a decision on special teams and then a gaffe shortly thereafter played a major role in the Steelers losing an ugly one in their home opener.
It’s not fair to sit here and predict what would have happened had the Steelers converted the 4th and 1, but in hindsight, the Steelers could have gone for it and kept their offense on the field, giving the defense some help by staying off the field.
