Mike Tomlin Questions Getting Bigger for Steelers

The Steelers loss comes off the heels of bad decision making and disappointing performances.

Sep 29, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin walks on the sidelines before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- Throughout head coach Mike Tomlin's tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the consistent mantra throughout has been "the standard is the standard".

At this point, that standard has become unclear.

The loss to the Dallas Cowboys happened for a plethora of reasons, but not all of it can be traced to talent

Najee Harris averaged a meager 3.0 yards per carry and an alarming amount of drops from George Pickens marked a bad night from the Steelers offensive core.

That being said, the most confounding decisions come down to the timeouts called in the second half, leaving the Steelers with none remaining following a late touchdown by the Cowboys.

One such timeout was necessary in order to get rookie defensive back Beanie Bishop off the field, while another proved costly at the end of the game.

On that final drive, the Steelers were faced with a chance to stop a ten second-runoff with 10 seconds remaining after Dak Prescott was unable to reach the end zone.

Instead of taking the timeout there, Tomlin let the clock run down to 36 seconds. Then, two short plays involving a 1-yard run and an incomplete pass led to a fourth down, when Tomlin used the timeout even though the clock had stopped.

Even after defensive changes, the Cowboys scored and left the Steelers needed points with 20 seconds to go.

Any timeout would have been useful on the following drive, but the Steelers were unable to move down the field and promptly lost the game.

It's hard to understand the decision making by Tomlin and the rest of the coaching staff, but it nevertheless contributed to the loss in Week 5.

The loss marks a continuation of a frustrating trend for the Steelers that combines both confusing coaching choices and disappointing performances from both sides of the ball.

Is it time to question "the standard"? I'm not sure. That being said, the way that the Steelers performed from both a coaching and playing point of view was not indicative of future success or upholding of the "standard".

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