Steelers Captain Miles Killebrew Was Shocked With Mike Tomlin's Coaching Decisions That Led To Big Upset

The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to bounce back from a brutal loss to the Cleveland Browns when they take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13. The Bengals have had a disappointing season, but they are still one of the more dangerous teams in the AFC as they are looking to make a late playoff push. The Steelers need to find a way to get the win in Cincinnati, as losing back to back divisional games at this point in the season would be devastating. 

A big reason Pittsburgh lost against the Browns in Week 12 was because of their aggressive approach to the game. Head Coach Mike Tomlin probably put forth his most disappointing coaching performance of the 2024 season, which included questionable fourth down calls and untimely field goal attempts. Pittsburgh's special teams ace Miles Killebrew went on 93.7 The Fan on Monday morning, and the team captain gave his thoughts on some of the decisions made by Tomlin.

"I was shocked at some of the things that happened during the game," Killebrew said. "From my point of view, I wasn't expecting, just from what we've done in the past, whether or not you go for it on a fourth down, whether or not you decide to kick a field goal on a fourth down. We don't know those things."

Pittsburgh started the game off with a decent drive on offense. The unit got the ball over midfield, but then they found themselves in a fourth and 11 at Cleveland's 40-yard line. Tomlin decided to send Chris Boswell out for a 58-yard field goal attempt in harsh weather conditions rather than flipping the field by punting the ball. Boswell missed, and this is now considered one of the unnecessarily aggressive decisions from Tomlin that could have cost Pittsburgh the game.

On the Steelers' second drive of the game, the offense got the ball to about the same area of the field and found themselves in a fourth and two. Rather than punting again, Tomlin opted to try and get the first down, and failed miserably. This was the second instant where it seemed like Tomlin had a clear lack of respect for the Browns, as his aggressive approach to a game with harsh weather conditions seemed bizarre. Killebrew spoke more about the fourth down decisions.

"Those are decisions that are made between Coach Tomlin and whoever else is involved," Killebrew stated. "So, when it comes time for the game, especially on the other side of the ball, we don't know what they're gonna do. They had missed one earlier. You never know. I don't know. We were just trying to get out of there with that win, and it sucked that we weren't able to."

Going for it on fourth down and two isn't a horrible idea, but early on in the first quarter is fairly questionable. Pittsburgh has struggled in short yardage situations all season long which one might assume played a factor in Tomlin's decision making. The head coach opted to go for it again on Pittsburgh's first drive of the second half on fourth and one from their own 45, but failed again.

Steelers Have A Clear Weakness On Offense That Must Be Addressed

All season long, the Steelers have struggled when it comes to short yardage situations. It doesn't matter if it is Najee Harris or Jaylen Warren at running back, or Justin Fields or Russell Wilson at quarterback. The team struggles no matter what personnel is on the field. This is an issue for a team with aspirations to go deep in the playoffs. 

The aggressive approach from Tomlin isn't a bad thing, but it isn't necessarily threatening to opponents if the team continues to fail. This is an area of the offense that has to be improved as the regular season begins to draw to a close.

What do you think of Killebrew's statements on the coaching decisions from Tomlin? Let us know in the comments below!

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