Steelers' Mike Tomlin Reveals Exactly What He Told His Locker Room After Big Loss

It was a frustrating loss for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night as they fell to the Green Bay Packers at home by a final score of 35-25. Sunday's loss featured many of the same issues that have haunted the Steelers all season long. Miscommunications on defense, penalties, missed tackles, the inability to convert on third down, and not being able to force any turnovers proved to be a recipe for Pittsburgh's second consecutive loss.

The Steelers certainly still have plenty of flaws. The Pittsburgh defense allowed 454 yards of total offense, including 360 passing yards from Jordan Love and 143 receiving yards from tight end Tucker Kraft, and they also did not record a single sack or force a single turnover. Missed tackles and blown coverages continue to be an issue, with defensive players often out of position and struggling to make tackles in the open field. 

On the offensive side of the ball, the Steelers were ineffective on possession downs, going a combined 1-for-10 on third down. Pittsburgh settled for far too many field goals on early possessions, missing opportunities to potentially grow their lead further in the first half. The Steelers need to get better, and that is exactly what Head Coach Mike Tomlin told his team following the loss.

"There's not a lot to talk about," Tomlin said. "We got to get better, and we got to get better in a hurry. We say very little when we win, we say less when we lose. It's all about getting back in the lab and getting better."

It'd be fair for fans to be a little upset at Tomlin for blatantly stating that he did not have much to talk about after another disastrous defensive performance. For the most part, the Steelers played a pretty solid first half. The offense ran the ball effectively and kept the chains moving while the defense forced three punts and two missed field goals to take a 16-7 lead into the locker room. 

The Steelers didn't play a perfect first 30 minutes by any means, but the defense did its part and a late touchdown pass from Aaron Rodgers to DK Metcalf in the final minute of the half gave Pittsburgh all the momentum heading to the break.

However, the second half told a very different story. The Packers came out and exploited Pittsburgh’s weaknesses, and the momentum shifted quickly. Green Bay outscored the Steelers 29-9 over the final two quarters, with Love and Kraft putting on a clinic. Pittsburgh had no answers on either side of the ball, and it turned into an avalanche that led to an embarrassing loss at home on national television.

Credit should be given to the Packers, who are a legitimate contender in the NFC. Their defense is elite, and their offense, led by Love, can score with anyone. Even so, this game feels like one the Steelers allowed to slip away, a winnable matchup that instead highlighted recurring issues that have plagued the team all season.

Steelers To Host The NFL's Number One Offense In Week 9

The Steelers defense has struggled over the last two weeks to say the least, and it won't get any easier in Week 9 when the franchise hosts the Indianapolis Colts at Acrisure Stadium. The Colts are fresh off their 38-14 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, which bumped their record to 7-1, as they are currently the AFC's top seed. 

The Colts currently lead the NFL in total yards and total points, and their star running back Jonathan Taylor is making a legitimate case to be the league's Most Valuable Player, along with quarterback Daniel Jones.

The Steelers have a lot to improve on with little time to do so. After an exciting 4-1 start to the season, two straight losses have Steelers fans worried, and third straight loss could not only hurt the Steelers confidence, but it could have a major impact on Pittsburgh's chances of winning the AFC North. 

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