The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a horrendous loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. The loss drops Pittsburgh to 10-4 on the season, but the outcome of other games around the league helped clinch a playoff spot for the Steelers. It didn't really feel like the Steelers ever really had a chance during the contest in Philadelphia. The offense never really got anything going and the defense struggled to get off of the field. Head Coach Mike Tomlin also made a handful of mistakes throughout the game.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Mike Tomlin ahead of a game against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024.
Tomlin had some questionable decisions during the loss. He chose to punt at midfield while the Steelers were down 14 with just over 10 minutes to go in the game, this resulted in the Steelers never getting the ball back. There were also some odd decisions regarding personnel.
He also had another issue with clock management at the end of the first half. TJ Watt secured his second sack of the game to force a fourth down for Philadelphia with just under two minutes remaining in the first half. The Eagles were forced to punt, but Tomlin didn't call a timeout until there was a minute and 29 seconds left on the clock. Tomlin addressed this snafu during his post game press conference.
"You know, I got caught up man, in some information." Tomlin said. "I'll just leave it at that."
During that moment, it was obvious the Eagles would be punting. They had the ball with a fourth and 24 in front of them at their own 16-yard line. There was no threat of them going for it, so it is hard to imagine what else Tomlin could have been thinking about in that moment other than preserving the clock. The Steelers still had one timeout left for their two-minute drive, so it is a bit bizarre Tomlin didn't decide to call the timeout immediately.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Mike Tomlin looks on during a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2024 season.
This has been a reoccurring issue with Tomlin. One of the biggest flaws Tomlin has had throughout his career is clock management, as well as knowing when to throw the challenge flag. It seems like these instances where Tomlin needs to make quick decisions on the sideline are something he struggles with.
Other teams throughout the NFL hire assistants to their staff who have the sole job of knowing when to use timeouts and how to use the clock to their own advantages, which is something the Steelers seriously need to look in to moving forward.
The Steelers still came away with three points on their final drive of the first half, but perhaps that drive would have gone differently had there been more time on the clock. Pittsburgh likely would have had some different play calls with 20 extra seconds on the clock.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Mike Tomlin during a game against the Cleveland Browns in 2024.
Steelers' Tomlin Needs To Clean Up His Clock Management Issues
It seems like almost every loss for the Steelers during the 2024 season has had an instant where Tomlin made questionable decisions when it comes to timeout usage. The Steelers were dominated by the Eagles, so Tomlin's mistake isn't to blame for the loss, but it certainly didn't help. The coach also struggled with this during the Steelers loss to the Dallas Cowboys earlier in the year.
What do you think of Tomlin's consistent issues with managing the clock? Let us know in the comments below!
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