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.
