Tomlin Monday - 11/23/20

By: Michael Stiffler, @Stiffeezy_ on Twitter

SteelerNation.com

The Pittsburgh Steelers took care of business in Jacksonville but have a quick turnaround this week as the Baltimore Ravens come to Heinz Field for a Thanksgiving night matchup. The Ravens are riding a two-game losing streak and looking to avenge their Week 8 loss versus the undefeated Steelers.

Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin opened his press conference stating he was happy with the run game on Sunday but there is still “a ways to go.” Tomlin addressed the injuries from Sunday, first with tight end Zach Gentry who has a “significant” knee injury. He will be unavailable as they wait on more news with him. The big name players like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Joe Haden, their availability will be determined by their work this week as Tomlin put it, so no clear indication on their status for Thursday. Tomlin was asked about Vance McDonald’s availability since they are shorthanded at the tight end position. McDonald has been cleared to come back and scheduled to practice tomorrow. His availability will be determined by his work as well. Asked what the best way is to navigate a short work week, he said it depends on the group of players and their health to decide the best way to go about it.

When talking about the Ravens, Tomlin simply said, “We are familiar with them, they are familiar with us,” but the biggest change since the their matchup is running back JK Dobbins. Tomlin said Dobbins has established himself as the feature runner but schematically things do not change. Dobbins' abilities is the biggest change highlighting he has breakaway speed, which is different from Mark Ingram and Gus Edward’s downhill running style. Minimizing Dobbins' impact in this matchup will be a big emphasis. He said they need to start fast offensively this time around compared to Week 8, as they cannot assume turnovers will repeat themselves.

Watch the full press conference below.