Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Accused Mike Tomlin Of Making A Major Mistake Against The Colts

The Pittsburgh Steelers found themselves in a tough spot on the road against the Indianapolis Colts, quickly falling behind 17-0. It looked like the game might turn into a blowout, but in the second half, Justin Fields led a spirited comeback, giving the Steelers a chance to win or tie the game late. However, a botched snap between Fields and the center sealed their fate, despite having a shot at the end.

Following the snap mishap, Fields managed to regain the lost yards with a pass to running back Najee Harris. Unfortunately, Harris failed to get out of bounds, and despite having a timeout, the Steelers didn't use it. The rushed play that followed resulted in an incomplete pass from Fields, ending their comeback hopes.

After the game, Head Coach Mike Tomlin was questioned about his decision not to use the timeout. While Tomlin’s explanation made sense to some, others disagreed with his reasoning. Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger, who was at the game, weighed in on his podcast Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, admitting he thought Tomlin should have used the timeout.

"Part of me understands why he didn’t call a timeout because you want to try and save it for later down the drive. You're in fourth down, you have one play. You need to call your timeout; you've got to figure out your best play. You can't rush that play call."

The first issue was that Harris had a clear path to get out of bounds, but failed to do so, despite knowing the game situation. This mistake put Tomlin in a position where he needed to consider using the timeout, which ideally shouldn't have been necessary. 

However, instead of using the timeout, Tomlin decided to hold onto it in case the Steelers picked up a first down. Roethlisberger, though, believes the timeout should have been called immediately.

"That play is too important to rush it. I understand that you are going to use your last timeout and then you don’t have it, but give yourself a chance to get the first down."

Roethlisberger noted that Tomlin likely refrained from calling a timeout to avoid giving the Colts' defense time to setup a perfect play. While Roethlisberger isn’t fond of criticizing Tomlin, he felt it was important to share his perspective on the situation.

"To me, that play is too important to not call a timeout and get yourself in the best situation. Again that’s second-guessing someone in a coach and I don’t want to do that, but that’s just my opinion. I think you need to have a timeout."

Even if Tomlin had called a timeout, it wouldn’t have guaranteed that Pittsburgh would pick up the first down. Before the botched snap, the Steelers' offense was clicking, and they had all the momentum. 

It seemed likely they were on the verge of either tying the game or scoring the go-ahead touchdown. However, when the snap hit Fields in the helmet, resulting in a loss of yards, the setback proved too much to overcome.

Steelers Will Look To Bounce Back Against Dallas At Home

The Steelers dropped their first game of the 2024 season, losing to the Colts in a disappointing defeat. Favored to win, Pittsburgh's struggles in Indianapolis continued. They'll look to bounce back Sunday night at home against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5.

The defense had its first poor performance of the season in the loss to the Colts. Up until that game, they had been the top unit in the league, but their struggles in Indianapolis have led to heavy criticism. Despite the setback, this defense is still loaded with playmakers at every level and has the veteran leadership needed to bounce back. They're poised to put on a strong showing at home against Dallas.

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