Head coach Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers were very aggressive early in their Week 10 matchup against the Washington Commanders. That strategy didn’t pay dividends.
Most notably, the Steelers tried to run a fake punt on fourth-and-15 from their own 16-yard line. But the intended receiver on the play, cornerback James Pierre, dropped the pass.
During his postgame press conference, Tomlin took responsibility for the failed fourth-down attempt. But the Steelers head coach also defended his aggressive decision early in Week 10.
“You can’t come into hostile environments versus good people and not aggressively pursue victory,” Tomlin told reporters. “We’re not going to live in our fears.”
“That is me. I own that,” Tomlin added, referring to the fake punt try. “I’ll do it again. But we didn’t execute it, and so, it was a bad idea.”
Mike Tomlin’s Fake Punt Fails Against Commanders
Although the Steelers offense went three-and-out twice on its first three drives, Pittsburgh controlled the first 10 minutes against Washington. The Steelers held a 7-0 lead and allowed 9 yards to the Commanders on their first two possessions.
But the first quarter quickly changed at the end of Pittsburgh’s third drive. Instead of punting on fourth-and-15, the Steelers ran a fake punt attempt at their 16-yard line. Special teams ace Miles Killebrew received the snap and threw a pass down the sideline to Pierre.
Pierre was wide open near the line to gain. Had he caught Killebrew’s pass, the Steelers could have continued to control the first quarter with a first-and-10 beyond the 30-yard line.
Instead, Pierre dropped the pass, which resulted in a turnover on downs. Already in the red zone, Washington only needed three plays to score the game-tying touchdown.
During the game, Steelers media and fans argued about the fake punt on social media. The Tribune-Review’s Tim Benz questioned the fake punt decision because it happened deep in Pittsburgh territory while Steelers insider Mark Kaboly strongly defended the call.
The play obviously lacked execution. But as one would expect from a leader regarded as a “players coach,” Tomlin didn’t blame Pierre and took responsibility himself for the error.
Did Tomlin Call the Fake Punt?
While Tomlin took responsibility for the fake punt, that doesn’t mean he called it.
Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora speculated during the game that the fake punt was something Tomlin and special teams coordinator Danny Smith could have installed during the week but didn’t “100%” call on fourth-and-15 at their own 16-yard line.
“It’s probably a built-in check anyway,” wrote Kozora on X (formerly Twitter).
“This isn’t a sideline call of Danny Smith saying, ‘we’re 100% faking the punt,'” added Kozora. “It’s a ‘the Commanders are aggressive with their jammers. If we get this look, throw the fake.'”
Tomlin’s response to the media indicates that it was 100% a fake punt that he decided to run in that situation. But Tomlin could have been covering for Killebrew and Pierre, who failed to execute the fake.
At the very least, Tomlin inserted the fake punt pass into the game plan. But it’s possible he didn’t call it when the team ran the play.
Regardless of Tomlin’s involvement in the pre-snap decision-making on the fake fourth-down attempt, the head coach accepted the blame for its failure.
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Steelers’ Mike Tomlin Sends Strong Message on Failed Fake Punt vs. Commanders