Steelers' Mike Tomlin Was "Probably Disappointed" After Aaron Rodgers' Big Decision Went Wrong In Week 4

The Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 4 game against the Minnesota Vikings was uncomfortably close at the end, but the Black and Gold still made it out of Ireland with a win before the bye week. Despite Pittsburgh's dominance in the first 55 minutes of the game, there are still quite a few kinks that need to be worked out, but for now, the division is Western Pennsylvania's to lose. If they can play cleaner, more consistent football, they might be able to take the AFC North and host a playoff game for the first time since 2020. 

During that Week 4 game, Head Coach Mike Tomlin was likely not too happy with how the last handful of minutes played out. In fact, insider Ray Fittipaldo mentioned in his weekly Q&A chat that he was probably upset at himself for how he let the players talk him into going for it on fourth down near the end zone, even though he wanted to play it safe with a field goal.

"I don't know if he's angry, but he's probably disappointed that he allowed the players to pressure him into that decision," Fittipaldo said. "His first instinct was right. I think he should have kicked the field goal and gone up by 13 in that situation. Or, if you're going to go for it there, put the ball in Rodgers' [hands] there and don't just hand off."

After the third down failed, the cameras caught quarterback Aaron Rodgers and many of his teammates telling Tomlin that they wanted to try to score a touchdown, even when the field goal unit was running onto the field. The head coach eventually obliged and sent the offense back out there, but they failed to convert. The Vikings responded with a 99-yard touchdown drive to make it a three-point game.

The play-call itself was questionable, as the Steelers opted to run for the score from three yards out instead of putting it in Rodgers' hands to let him ice the game. The quarterback has been arguably the best red-zone passer of the 2025 season through the first four weeks, so letting him hand it off does not make a lot of sense there, but that could have been Tomlin wanting to play it safe.

The argument is that by just attempting a field goal, the score would've only been 27-14, still a two-possession game. Whereas if the Steelers went for the touchdown, it would've made the contest a three-score game, and likely put the matchup out of reach for the Vikings.

Steelers Got The Safe Call That Tomlin Wanted Afterwards

On the Steelers' next offensive possession, they had a fourth and one at the 40-yard line. The Vikings had no timeouts, so that one-yard could have ended the game with no questions. They were previously successful on a tight end sneak, and they also still had a clutch quarterback in Rodgers to throw for it if they didn't trust the sneak play. However, gaining a single yard was seen as too risky for Tomlin. 

Tomlin had the Steelers take a delay of game penalty, then had punter Corliss Waitman boom the punt out of the back of the end zone, instead of trying to pin them deep in case of a return. All that did was save the Steelers 20 yards of field position. Luckily, the defense stepped up and got the job done to win the game, but it has not stopped fans from questioning why the head coach remains one of the most conservative ones in the game.

What do you think about Tomlin probably being disappointed about letting his players talk him into being aggressive, as well as how conservative he usually is? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

#SteelerNation