Mike Tomlin Gives Simple, Direct Reason for Loss to Dolphins

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin just broke down exactly why his squad lost to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday Night Football.

And the reasoning was … super straightforward. No minced words. No Tomlinisms. Just a clear-cut, direct answer.

Speaking with media in Miami after his Steelers’ 16-10 loss, Tomlin laid it on the line.

“You gotta compliment the Miami Dolphins, man. They made the necessary plays to secure victory, man, and really we didn’t,” Tomlin began.

Don’t worry: It got better from there. Tomlin gives a reason –– an exact, precise reason for the defeat.

Here we go:

“And oftentimes –– particularly when it’s a defensive battle the way that game developed into, man, it’s about who catches the interception opportunities and who doesn’t,” Tomlin said. “And that’s just kind of the lens in which I see it, you know?

“The Dolphins caught theirs and we didn’t catch ours, and that’s probably the difference in the game. And sometimes when it’s a one-score game and it’s back-and-forth like that and the defenses are controlling it, defensive splash is ultimately the deciding factor.”

That’s it. It’s just that simple.

To hear Tomlin tell it, the interceptions (or lack thereof) made all the difference. No need to dig any deeper.

He might be onto something, too.

Let’s check the box score:

• Kenny Pickett: 32/44 for 257 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions
• Tua Tagovailoa: 21/35 for 261 yards, one touchdown, zero interceptions

This, friends, is exactly why you can’t look at the box score and understand the flow of a game. Sure, stats matter, but they hardly comprise the entire story.

Pickett threw three interceptions –– and two of them came on terrible, terrible passes. That much is true.

But Tagovailoa actually had the rookie beat in this one. Despite technically throwing zero picks, anybody who watched the game knows Tagovailoa needs to thank a witch doctor tonight.

Because in reality, he did this:

Cam Sutton dropped one. Terrell Edmunds dropped one. Levi Wallace dropped two. Arthur Maulet could’ve had one if he played the ball.

Go ahead and tell ’em one more time, Coach Tomlin:

“We didn’t give our offense a short field by producing a turnover or two, and they did. We go back to work.”

Hey, football is a complicated game.

But sometimes it’s just that simple.