The Pittsburgh Steelers lost in embarrassing fashion, 24-10, at home to the previously 2-10 Arizona Cardinals on December 3. Afterwards, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was in a bad mood from the loss.
Tomlin ripped into his team’s mistakes from the 14-point defeat during his postgame press conference.
“That was a horrible day at the office. We didn’t do much right in that game, to be quite honest with you,” Tomlin told reporters. “We have to own that, obviously, starting first and foremost with me. Just losing football. It really was.
“We were highly penalized, some pre-snap penalties, some operational penalties, bad snaps. Just JV football in a lot of ways.”
The Steelers outgained the Cardinals, which differed from the team’s first 10 games of the season. But Arizona outshined Pittsburgh in the efficiency statistics that the Steelers have usually been superior in this season.
Tomlin’s team converted just 4 of 11 third-down attempts and scored touchdowns on 1 of 3 red zone possessions. They also had 9 penalties for 77 yards and held a minus-1 turnover margin.
The Cardinals went 10-for-17 on third down, scored on all three of their red zone possessions and didn’t have a giveaway. The victory was Arizona’s first on the road this season.
Nothing Went Right for Steelers in Loss to Cardinals
The Steelers offense came out firing on the first possession of the game. But like against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 12, the Steelers didn’t convert in the red zone. Instead, they settled for a field goal
Then after a series of punts, the mistakes began for Pittsburgh.
The Steelers stopped the Cardinals on third-and-12, but an unnecessary roughness penalty from linebacker Elandon Roberts gave Arizona a first down. The Cardinals tied the game on that possession with a field goal.
With the game still knotted at 3, the Steelers faced fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line with 4:51 remaining in the first half. But the Cardinals stuffed running back Najee Harris for no gain and subsequently drove 99 yards to score a touchdown before halftime.
On the drive, the Cardinals converted five third downs, including on third-and-goal to score.
Things got worse for the Steelers in the second half. A bad snap from center Mason Cole, his second inaccurate snap of the game, led to a Cardinals fumble recovery at the Steelers 21-yard line early in the third quarter.
The Steelers defense appeared to hold the Cardinals to a field-goal attempt after an incompletion on third-and-goal on the next drive. But a pass interference penalty on Joey Porter Jr. gave the Cardinals a fresh set of downs at the 1-yard line.
Arizona scored another touchdown two plays later.
Any comeback chance essentially ended when kicker Chris Boswell, who was previously perfect this season on attempts inside of 60 yards, missed a 45-yard field goal on Pittsburgh’s next drive.
In addition to those blunders, Tomlin’s team had two illegal formation penalties and a foul for 12-men on defense.
Steelers Face Short Week With Injuries Mounting
On top of all those mistakes, and the horrible weather that led to two lengthy delays, the Steelers suffered multiple injuries in Week 13. They could have a significant impact on the team going forward.
Quarterback Kenny Pickett left just before the fourth-and-goal attempt with an ankle injury. The CBS broadcast showed Pickett wearing a walking boot on the sideline during the second half.
Roberts suffered a groin injury in the first quarter. The Steelers ruled him out for good before halftime.
On top of that, the CBS broadcast cameras caught linebacker T.J. Watt in obvious pain on the sidelines during the fourth quarter.
That’s a lot of injuries to key players to deal with on a normal week. But the Steelers will play their next contest against the New England Patriots on Thursday, December 7.
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Mike Tomlin Blasts Steelers for Loss to Cardinals: ‘JV Football’