Tomlin Tuesday - 12/22/20

By: Michael Stiffler, @Stiffeezy_ on Twitter

SteelerNation.com

The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to struggle as they have now lost three in a row after an awful performance against the Cincinnati Bengals. A short time ago, the AFC North title seemed like it would inevitably end up in Pittsburgh but now things seem more bleak than ever. The Steelers are in a must win matchup this week versus the Indianapolis Colts if they want to rest their starters prior to starting the Wild Card round.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin simply put the loss as, "We just have to perform better, particularly at the early stages of the game." While the game didn't go well, Tomlin was pleased with the efforts of Benny Snell and the running game. Unfortunately with the early in games turnovers, the Steelers were forced to put the ball in the air. During the presser he explained that you shouldn't expect major changes to the personnel, since the problem was with the execution of the game plan. On the injury front, James Conner (quad), Kevin Dotson (shoulder), and Vince Williams (COVID-19) all have a chance to play this week. In regards to the injuries sustained last night to Derek Watt (concussion) and Eric Ebron (back) it was too soon for an update according to Tomlin.

He opened talking about the Colts being a strong opponent and that, "We don't need to run away from the kitchen, we need to run into it." This will be the first time Tomlin will see Phillip Rivers in a Colts uniform but he knows Rivers gives them a mental advantage to better position themselves for success. Darius Leonard was the defender Tomlin spoke most about describing him as a sideline-to-sideline guy in the run game and impactful in the passing game. Overall they are a very "fundamental" group who Tomlin expects will give them trouble.

Watch the full press conference below.

#SteelerNation