Steelers' Mike Tomlin Defends Going For Points On 4th Down In Despicable Loss To Cardinals In Week 13

The Pittsburgh Steelers looked like they took a step forward in their first game without Matt Canada last week against the Cincinnati Bengals. In their next game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13, which was delayed twice due to inclement weather, they regressed to their old selves. The team scored just one touchdown and left points on the board in multiple situations. Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin defended the decision to try and pick up more points at the end of the first half when his team had driven down into Cardinals' territory in the second quarter. 

While speaking to the media in his postgame press conference, Tomlin addressed making the call to try and go for a touchdown on fourth down near the end of the second quarter when Pittsburgh was still tied 3-3. The Steelers had driven down the field on 12 plays for 79 yards and were on the doorstep to picking up a touchdown, which Tomlin said was their intention the whole time. 

On third and goal from the four-yard line with 5:32 left to go, quarterback Kenny Pickett scrambled up the middle, but was stopped a yard short. The 25-year-old, who entered the game with an ankle injury, had to depart and didn't return. Backup Mitch Trubisky entered the game for the failed fourth down run by Najee Harris that was stopped short of the goal line.

"No, we were going to go for that," Tomlin said of the play. "We've got to score points in order to win football games and so we're not going to question our aggression there. We have got to be able to get a yard."     

After the Steelers came away with a win and put up 421 yards against the Bengals the week prior, many thought the offense was moving forward after a tough stretch. Pickett downplayed the yardage and emphasized the need to score more points. Getting points has been an issue for the team in 2023. Coming into the contest against the Cardinals, the team ranked behind the New England Patriots, New York Giants, New York Jets, and Carolina Panthers in points scored. 

Steelers' Lack Of Red Zone Efficiency Dooms Them Yet Again

The Steelers were able to drive the ball inside the Cardinals' 20-yard line on three occasions and came away with a Chris Boswell field goal, the turnover on downs, and finally in the fourth quarter, their lone touchdown of the game. Boswell also had a rare miss in the 2023 season from the Arizona 27. 

With 8:28 left in the game, Pittsburgh trailed 24-3 and the fate of the game looked largely sealed. The team had suffered some other major injuries, including to leading tackler Elandon Roberts, but still Trubisky and the offense trotted onto the field to try and salvage some dignity. 

Starting on their own 25-yard line, Trubisky helped engineer a scoring drive with a pair of passes to Harris to start. On a first and five after a penalty against the Cardinals, Trubisky let it rip to Diontae Johnson for a 26-yard gain. The receiver looked a little shaken up, but returned a play later to score his second touchdown of the season on a two-yard out thrown perfectly by Trubisky.

The Steelers have struggled mightily in the red zone when the windows get tighter. In 23 attempts this season before the Cardinals game, the team has scored a touchdown in 10 trips. That is good for 43.5 percent and was ranked 28th in the league. They didn't help themselves in this game against the Cardinals. 

Pittsburgh has a short week with the struggling New England Patriots coming to town on Thursday. They'll need to find a way to do better against the Patriots if they want to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot. You can't win games without scoring more points and Pittsburgh needs to clean up in the area of the field where a team should be scoring more than half the time. 

What do think of Tomlin's call to try to get points when Pickett went out? Would you have kicked the field goal? Comment below!    

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