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Arthur Smith Says Mistakes Were Made on Steelers Interception vs. Chiefs
The Steelers made a costly turnover against the Chiefs on Christmas day and it could have been the fault of more than one player.
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson threw a costly interception while trailing the Kansas City Chiefs 13-0 on Christmas day, but was it only his fault?
The play has been talked about a lot since because wide receiver George Pickens seems to put in very little effort on the play. Some have argued that Pickens was supposed to run a vertical route to carry over Chiefs safety Eric Reid, who made the interception on the play.
Instead, Pickens took a few steps and let the play develop into an interception after what looked to be a promising drive for the Steelers
On Monday, head coach Mike Tomlin defended Pickens.
“George’s interception had nothing to do with that interception,” Tomlin said. “George was fine last weekend, or last Wednesday.”
Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith seemed to have a different tone when talking about the play on Wednesday, however.
“That’s some lessons learned, and you move on, but that’s why you coach. Guys learn from mistakes,” Smith said. “You scheme something up and it doesn’t work, and you got to realize why it didn’t work. Was it the matchup you’re asking or timing of the call?”
It’s unclear who Smith is exactly talking about, but there is certainly an argument against both Pickens and Wilson.
Wilson simply shouldn’t have thrown the ball into double coverage, even if Pickens was running the correct route, but if Pickens wasn’t, then some of the blame could be placed on him, too.
Either way, Smith knows the Steelers offense must start playing smarter if they hope to end their three-game losing streak.
“You don’t want to take someone’s initiative away, but you get in these tight games against good defenses, they’re not going to hand you things,” Smith said. “So there’s an art to that, not forcing things that aren’t there. It’s not being conservative; it’s trying to play smart football.”
The Steelers offense will have a chance to bounce back in Week 18 when they host the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night.
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