The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled off a big upset in Week 9, taking down the NFL’s best team. While they were coming off two ugly losses, they turned things around against the Indianapolis Colts. Despite starting slow, the Steelers controlled most of the game. The six turnovers they forced helped with that. However, former NFL offensive lineman Alex Boone wasn’t impressed with the Steelers’ win, and he thinks it should make Mike Tomlin want to leave Pittsburgh.
“Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers did not beat the Colts,” Boone said recently on his OLine Committee podcast. “The Colts literally beat themselves. Six turnovers later and you only lose by a touchdown? I’m almost looking at Pittsburgh like, ‘Are you guys done with Tomlin yet?’ And Tomlin, you should go to a better team. You need to go somewhere where you’re respected and loved.”
Were the Steelers perfect against the Colts? No, but there isn’t a perfect team in the NFL. Yes, the Steelers only won 27-20, but that final score doesn’t tell the full story of the game.
The Steelers scored a touchdown to go up 24-7 near the start of the first quarter. After that, their offense took its foot off the gas. It was less aggressive, just trying to bleed the clock out. The Colts put 10 points on the board in the last five minutes of the game. Also, three of those points came as a result of Roman Wilson’s fumble on a poor decision to try to leap a defender.
Therefore, it wasn’t a traditional one-score game. The Colts made a lot of mistakes, but the Steelers’ defense deserves credit for putting them in those situations. MVP candidate Jonathan Taylor was held to 45 rushing yards. That allowed the Steelers better get after quarterback Daniel Jones, who had five of the Colts’ six turnovers.
Additionally, Tomlin is the architect of the Steelers’ brand of football. That game against the Colts is how he wants to win. The Steelers’ defense made splash plays, and their offense capitalized on those opportunities.
Tomlin is the Steelers’ head coach because he wants to be. He’s got the trust of ownership, and he’s got a good working relationship with general manager Omar Khan. While some fans might be frustrated with Tomlin, the Steelers’ organization clearly has a lot of love and respect for him. Otherwise, his poor playoff record likely would’ve gotten him fired. He’s committed to winning in Pittsburgh.