The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered their third consecutive December defeat, with yet another humiliating 30-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, a game in which Head Coach Mike Tomlin treated as a playoff matchup. However, the outcome and effort was hardly surprising, given that Tomlin's last playoff victory dates back to January 15, 2017, against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Tomlin's decisions have faced heavy criticism during this dismal December stretch, and one particular choice involving the dependable Steelers kicker Chris Boswell added to his growing unpopularity among Steelers fans.
In a critical moment, the Steelers' offense stalled at the Colts' 39-yard line on fourth and 14 with three minutes and 21 seconds left in the third quarter, while they trailed 24-13. Surprisingly, Tomlin opted to sideline a kicker with a career reputation of 82.68% success rate from 50-yard field goals or more.
Instead of relying on Boswell, Tomlin sent out the struggling punter Pressley Harvin III to punt the ball back to the Colts. This decision raised eyebrows, as the Steelers' defense was beleaguered and injured, struggling throughout the game against the Gardner Minshew-led Colts offense, which featured practice squad running backs and lacked key players like Michael Pittman Jr. and Zack Moss.
Tomlin's decision not only squandered a crucial opportunity to rebuild momentum, but also demonstrated an unwarranted reliance on a defense that had already conceded 30 points to a roster of backup players. It’s also important to note that the Steelers failed to score for the remaining 43 minutes of the game just to explain how important any points would have been in that moment.
The popular social media account Surrender Index 90, which measures poor decisions by an offense to surrender the football (i.e., punting), evaluated Tomlin's decision with a Surrender Index score of 15.51. This score ranked in the 98th percentile of cowardly punts according to the system, which calculates the lack of risk taken by a coaching staff in opting to punt or go for points.
“PIT decided to punt to IND from the IND 39 on 4th & 14 with 3:21 remaining in the 3rd while losing 13 to 24. With a Surrender Index of 15.51, this punt ranks at the 98th percentile of cowardly punts of the 2023 season, and the 95th percentile of all punts since 1999.”
Tomlin's Steelers Popularity Stock Declining Rapidly
Following the Steelers' loss, Tomlin faced questions about the decision in his postgame press conference Saturday. His response seemed to shift some of the blame onto Mitch Trubisky for throwing the ball out of bounds instead of checking it down to get Boswell closer to field goal range.
“Not a lot had gone our way today in that junction that made me feel good about banging a 57-yard field goal. Particularly, on that down before I thought we might take a shot or check it down and we end up throwing the ball out of bounds, and so I didn’t like that field positioning.”
What makes this decision particularly perplexing is that Boswell isn't an inexperienced kicker. He has been a part of Tomlin's team since 2015, consistently delivering crucial field goals and winning games that the Steelers might not have otherwise. Boswell is a massive reason for Tomlin never having a losing season.
Boswell displayed the confidence to attempt the 56-yard field goal jogging onto the field, only to be replaced by Harvin III, who delivered a disappointing 22-yard punt. This decision caused some of Tomlin's few remaining supporters to reconsider their stance on the legendary coach.
While this choice is just one of many factors contributing to the Steelers' loss, it highlights a significant coaching error and suggests that Tomlin continues to struggle to coach winning football in critical moments. It remains a decision that is difficult to comprehend, as Tomlin knew the capabilities of his kicker and should have given him a chance, especially in that situation.
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