Mike Tomlin Unloads on Steelers ‘Disappointing’ Performance in Win over Ravens

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated their arch rivals on Wednesday afternoon, beating the Baltimore Ravens 19-14 to sweep the season series against Baltimore for the second time in 11 seasons and improve to an AFC- and NFL-leading 11-0 on the 2020 season.

None of that made Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin very happy.

Despite the victory, the Steelers played a sloppy football game, with two turnovers, big plays against the defense and a plethora of dropped passes that conspired to keep the depleted Ravens in the game far longer than they should have been.

Tomlin did not pull any punches in letting his team and the public know how disappointed he was in the performance, even after a win.

“To be bluntly honest, I’m really disappointed in our performance tonight,” Tomlin said to lead off his postgame press conference. “We did enough to win, but that’s all. It was really junior varsity, to be quite honest with you. It was in all three phases.

#LIVE: Coach Tomlin addresses the media following our win over the Ravens.@UPMC https://t.co/iikyIqvZYZ

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 2, 2020

“We couldn’t run the ball effective when we needed to. We dropped too many significant passes — very catchable, makable passes. We didn’t make significant plays in the special teams game. Our kickoff coverage unit wasn’t good enough. We turned the damn ball over. We gave up big plays in critical moments on defense. Can’t have it. They converted a long run on a possession down before the half. Unacceptable. They had a 70-yard touchdown late in the game. Unacceptable.

“We’re fortunate tonight. It’s good to proceed with the victory. I acknowledge that. But not a lot happened tonight to be proud of or be excited about.”

Tomlin would not accept the almost insane set of circumstances leading up to the game, with it postponed three times and finally played at 3:40 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon, as an excuse for his team’s play.

When asked specifically about the offense’s struggles with dropped passes and in the red zone, Tomlin was just as blunt and even more concise:

“Us sucking.”

Tomlin add that he could not recall the last time he was this upset after a win.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I know this one is pretty frustrating.”