PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reiterated on Tuesday that he was displeased with the amount of penalties his team committed in Sunday’s 13-6 win over Denver. The Steelers had 10 accepted penalties against them for 78 yards.
“As the game unfolded, I got displeased with the amount of penalties that we absorbed, and really in all three phases,” Tomlin said.
The Steelers have had 19 accepted penalties against them in the first two weeks. It’s the most the Steelers have been penalized through the first two games since 2018, per ESPN Stats & Info.
To help correct the issue, Tomlin said the team will have officials at practice all three days this week, typically the officials are only at practice on Fridays.
“We’re not hoping and wishing our issues away. We’re taking tangible action,” Tomlin said.
Justin Fields threw a remarkable ball to George Pickens for a 51-yard gain against Denver, but it was negated due to a Broderick Jones’ holding penalty. Fields also had a 6-yard touchdown pass to Pickens nullified because of an offensive pass interference penalty on Van Jefferson.
“At some point in the game, I went up to (Fields), I told him to challenge his unit in terms of cleaning up their play so we could get out of the stadium and end the game,” Tomlin said. “I asked him to do it in his own voice, in his own words, but those are some of the things you ask your quarterback to do.
“It’s not fun or realistic to fake that, so it’s just really good to be in in-game circumstances and get an opportunity to work together in the ways that coaches and leaders have to do in an effort to land the plane.”
Second-year offensive tackle Broderick Jones destroyed a possession in the second quarter with three penalties and was ultimately benched mid-drive.
“When you get holding penalties, you’re gonna shut a drive down in the National Football League, particularly at this of team development, ” Tomlin said after the game. “We just don’t have enough cohesion to overcome those long yardage circumstances. Really, not a lot of people do. In September, at this stage in the game, you get a holding penalty, it’s gonna shut a drive down. So we got to play cleaner.”
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.