Steelers' Mike Tomlin Calls Out And Criticizes Pressley Harvin III's Poor Week 8 Performance

There wasn't much of anything that went right for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 20-10 loss led to the team dropping to 4-3 on the season, but they still remain in the AFC playoff picture. The offense was nonexistent aside from one drive, and while the defense performed well, allowing a 56-yard touchdown pass to Travis Etienne was a devastating blow. Pittsburgh will have to display a short memory, as the Tennessee Titans will come to town for a Thursday Night Football matchup. The Steelers are currently a home favorite, despite the questions surrounding Kenny Pickett's availability.

Head Coach Mike Tomlin typically speaks to the media each week on Tuesdays throughout the regular season, but with the short week, he did his weekly press conference on Monday. In his usual stoic tone, he spoke about all three phases of the game. He had some interesting comments about the offense and defense, but also made sure to throw a little bit of blame on the shoulders of punter, Pressley Harvin III. 

"Splash plays in the special teams can be an asset to us; we didn't get that. And, obviously, we like more consistent punting than we got [on Sunday] as well," Tomlin said during his game recap.

Harvin III was quietly having the best year of his professional career heading into Week 8. He took a huge step backward against the Jaguars, however. He had six attempts and was only able to average 42.8 yards per punt. With the offense performing poorly, swinging the field position would have been critical, but Harvin III was unable to accomplish that.

To be fair, the conditions were not exactly punter-friendly. It was raining for the majority of the game and extremely difficult for any players to get footing. The reality, though, is that the special teams play did not live up to Tomlin's expectations and he specifically wanted to make a note during his press conference that he is unhappy with how the punting was on Sunday.

Harvin III has played in five games in 2023. He missed a couple of contests due to a hamstring injury. He is currently 24th in the NFL with an average of 45.7 yards per punt. His career-high for a season was in 2022 when the number finished at 44.5. His main issue has always been consistency and he displayed a lack of once again in Week 8 against the Jaguars.

The Steelers had an opportunity to replace him, but he was the winner of the punting battle in the preseason. Braden Mann, who is now punting for the Philadelphia Eagles, was brought in for some competition, but Pittsburgh stayed with Harvin III. Mann has played six games with the Eagles in 2023, and is just ahead of Harvin III, averaging 46.3 yards per punt.

It's not likely that the Steelers would bring someone in to challenge Harvin III midseason unless his play really falls off. One has to believe, however, that he could be playing in final year in Pittsburgh if his inconsistent tendencies stick around. He has shown growth in 2023 and had solid games, but the shanks off the side of his foot are proving to come at bad times and leaving opposing teams with great field position.

Steelers Need Better Play From All Three Phases

The defense can't be perfect all the time, but still had miscues on Sunday and Etienne destroyed them play after play. Everyone is aware of the offensive situation and how hard the unit is to watch. On top of it all, not having a punter who can consistently pin opponents deep puts the other two phases at a disadvantage. The Steelers have a lot to clean up and not a ton of time to do it with Thursday Night Football on the horizon.