Steelers coach Mike Tomlin Talks About the Controversy in an Honest Way

The Pittsburgh Steelers will try to forget about their shocking loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 12.

In the fourth quarter, on the Steelers’ second-to-last drive, they chose to bring in backup quarterback Justin Fields on a third-and-six with the lead. This was one of the most important plays of the game. With less than four minutes left, Pittsburgh could have used Fields to run out the time, but instead they tried a deep pass to George Pickens that missed.

The Steelers kicked the ball away, and with less than a minute left in the game, the Browns ran down the field and scored the winning touchdown.

It was Tuesday, and coach Mike Tomlin was asked about the controversial play call. He gave an honest explanation for his choice.

“We felt good about it, to be quite honest with you,” said the man. “It was a significant occasion. Three-and-medium was the call. 11 players were within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. The corner where GP was matched up wasn’t called Denzel Ward. That looks like more than a 50/50 chance, so we were happy with our choice.

It’s clear that the conversations about the play would have been very different if it had worked, but putting Fields in the game to make that play instead of Russell Wilson is still a strange choice.

The Steelers are still in first place in the AFC North even though they lost, but they only have a half-game lead over the Baltimore Ravens. This means they won’t have much room for error in the coming weeks.