Too sloppy to win: When Coach Mike Tomlin said after the Steelers 16-16 tie against the Detroit Lions that it was too sloppy to win, he wasn't talking about the miserable weather.
He was talking about the play on the field.
"Just too sloppy to win," said Tomlin. "Core fundamental things. We didn't tackle well enough throughout the game defensively. In the most critical moments we didn't maintain possession of the ball on offense, and so we've got to accept responsibility for the outcome of the game, and we do.
"We look at what it is that we can do and how we could have done it better in terms of changing the outcome of the game, but we didn't do enough. Those are two of the things that highlighted it just from a knee-jerk response or a feel in terms of watching it from within the stadium.
"We'll make the necessary corrections and learn from this hopefully and move forward."
Tomlin said he acknowledged the fight from the players, but he stopped short of congratulating them for fighting because it's what is expected.
"That's going to be required when you are trying to do and be what we're trying to do and be," said Tomlin. "That fight, that competitive spirit, and that smiling in the face of adversity has to be a component of anything and everything we do. I did acknowledge it. I'm appreciative of the efforts."
Giving them a chance: The Steelers went into the game with starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger out after he was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 List. Mason Rudolph got the start, finishing the game completing 30 of 50 pass attempts for 242 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
"He did what we expected him to do," said Tomlin. "He gave us a chance to win, but that's not the first opportunity for him. This guy has been at it a while, and so we expected him to play well, and we thought he gave us a chance to win."
Tomlin said the game plan didn't change with Rudolph going in for Roethlisberger, and they didn't have to make a lot of adjustments once Roethlisberger was placed on the list.
"He was symptomatic on Saturday. We tested him. He was positive," said Tomlin. "We're thoughtful about distancing him from the group anyway in an effort to protect him and so wasn't a lot of concern about contacts and things of that nature. We just simply elevated Dwayne Haskins and moved forward."
Tackling the issue: The defense allowed the Lions 229 yards on 39 carries, with D'Andre Swift accounting for 130 yards on 33 carries, with 73 of those yards coming in the first half.
In the second half the defense clamped down, but Tomlin said overall they have to tackle better.
"There's a guy out of place or two there initially, but if you had to wrap it in a bow and talk about it globally or largely, we had to tackle better," said Tomlin. "As the game went on, we did, and we were able to settle it down, but the damage was the damage."
