Mike Tomlin channeled his inner Bill Belichick on Sunday but taking a huge, and incredibly unnecessary gamble which could have cost his team a win.

I’ll set the scene:

Pittsburgh took a two-point lead on Green Bay with just under four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but instead of kicking the ball deep and forcing the Packers to drive the length of the field to score, Tomlin decided to attempt an onside kick. The play failed because one of the Steelers players touched the ball before it went 10 yards and the Packers took over in prime field position. They wound up scoring on a 24-yard James Jones run and after a successful two-point conversation they took a 36-30 lead with just over two minutes to play.

Why did Tomlin attempt the onside kick? Maybe because his team is out of playoff contention and he figured it was a good risk to take. Maybe the Steelers had practiced the play throughout the week and he thought that was the best time to break it out. Or maybe the answer is simple: He didn’t trust his defense.

There’s a very good possibility that Tomlin didn’t want the Packers to get the ball back because he knew his defense couldn’t stop them. After all, Green Bay racked up 436 total yards, including 376 through the air. They were 10-for-16 on third downs and quarterback Aaron Rodgers was absolutely shredding them in the passing game. Conversely, Ben Roethlisberger was putting on his own show and Pittsburgh’s offense was moving the ball with ease, so why give the ball back to the Packers? If the onside kick worked, then the Steelers could go down the field and maybe make it a two-score game.

But it didn’t work and Green Bay scored anyway. If it weren’t for Big Ben, a remarkable catch by Mike Wallace and a crap load of fortunate breaks (Packers’ miscues, flags, etc.) on the final drive, Tomlin would have been the goat of another Pittsburgh loss. The onside kick was a strange decision and probably the wrong one, but with how bad Pittsburgh’s secondary has looked without Troy Polamalu, I don’t blame Tomlin for taking a shot. I don’t agree with the decision and he’s lucky his team pulled out the 37-36 win, but I don’t blame him for taking a shot.

While this is a heartbreaking loss for the Packers, they’re still in great shape to clinch a playoff berth in the NFC. They might have to settle for the sixth seed, but this is a good team and Rodgers is going to be a force in the postseason. His offensive line needs to hold up (he was getting abused early in the game today) and the Packers’ defense needs to limit the big plays, but Green Bay is going to be a tough out in a month.