Steelers coach Mike Tomlin faced questions about a couple of fourth down calls after losing 39-30 to the Seahawks on Sunday, including his decision to kick a field goal that cut Seattle’s lead to 32-30 with three minutes left to play in the game.
The Steelers were inside the five-yard-line without the ability to get a first down when Tomlin sent kicker Chris Boswell into the game and pulled his offense off the field. The Seahawks would score on an 80-yard catch and run by Doug Baldwin and the Steelers’ last-ditch efforts were commanded by Landry Jones, who entered the game when Ben Roethlisberger exited for the concussion protocol.
Some wondered after the game if Roethlisberger’s injury factored into Tomlin’s decision. It hadn’t been reported at that point, though, and Tomlin confirmed his decision to kick a field goal wasn’t fueled by the chance to have Jones try to lead a game-winning drive.
“No it did not. We needed to get a stop,” Tomlin said. “I felt confident in our ability to do it. Obviously we didn’t. But those are calculated risks you take during football games. It was a five-point game. Just wanted the lead, and give those guys an opportunity to take the points and maybe win.”
Given the play of the defense all game, banking on them in that spot was sure to be second-guessed when they predictably broke down. So was Tomlin’s decision to open the second quarter with a fake field goal that had Jones take the place of usual holder Jordan Berry and saw the Steelers shift into an offensive formation on fourth-and-two.
The Seahawks weren’t fooled, but the Steelers ran the play anyway and Jones was picked off. That meant no points for them and Jeremy Lane’s long return set up the first Seattle touchdown of the afternoon, a turn of events that Tomlin said he owned and took responsibility for without delving into what he saw that made the play seem so much more appealing than kicking a field goal or leaving the offense on the field.
All the second guessing in the world won’t change the fact that the Steelers defense gave up 19 points in the fourth quarter in a performance that likely would have made any Tomlin decisions moot as long as Seattle got a chance with the ball before time expired.