Mike Tomlin Drops Concerning Tomlinism About Steelers Defense

During his weekly press conference, Tomlin used his Tomlinism, "two is a trend," when talking about the poor performances of his defense. Speaking with Steelers.com's Bob Labriola, he explained what he meant and what three bad showings would mean.

"Two is a pattern, so you know what three is," Tomlin said. "I use that phrase to display urgency with our guys, to understand that there's an expiration date on adapting. There's an expiration date on adjustments. We can't wait too long. We've got to recognize issues. We've got to see around corners. We gotta eliminate problems before they happen. Not just us. Anybody in this business. I'm talking about rules of football. You gotta eliminate problems before they happen. And when they do happen, you better eliminate them quickly. And so a component of that mindset, a component of that mantra is the phrase 'two is a pattern,' because three is too much.

Pittsburgh will face a New England offense that is run by second-year quarterback Drake Maye and has receiving weapons like Stefon Diggs and Hunter Henry. But it also includes running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and second-round rookie TrVeyon Henderson.

Pittsburgh allowed just under 400 yards of total offense (395) against the Seahawks last week, with 117 rushing yards. The week prior, they allowed 394 yards to the Jets and 182 rushing yards.

Three poor games would be a milestone Pittsburgh does not want to hit. One that could change how they view the season. One that will likely force Tomlin to make some drastic decisions early in the season about a defense many viewed as elite coming into the year.