Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a very painful loss against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16. As a result, the path to winning the AFC North has become much more complicated.
The Steelers will need two victories over the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals to secure the divisional title, as well as a home playoff game. Otherwise, they will end up qualifying as a wild card team.
Undoubtedly, the losses to the Eagles and Ravens have caused fans and experts to no longer see this team as a Super Bowl contender. For that reason, Tomlin sent a very strong message to Russell Wilson and all his players.
Can Steelers be in the playoffs?
Despite two consecutive losses, the Pittsburgh Steelers have already clinched a spot in the playoffs. Now, the big challenge will be trying to win the AFC North under all the pressure from the Ravens.
During the blockbuster matchup in Baltimore, the Steelers had their chances, but a fumble and an interception by Russell Wilson proved very costly. Additionally, the defense never had an answer for Derrick Henry and the running game, allowing over 200 yards. The cause of the defeat was very clear to Mike Tomlin.
“We didn’t control the running game. We never did and, when you don’t, you’ve got to do some splash plays or win the turnover battle in a significant way and we didn’t do that either. Obviously, we turned the ball over going in and took seven points off the board. They had a pick-six and the rest is history as they say.”
“You got to control the run and line of scrimmage. The turnover game is always significant in matchups like this and we failed in both areas. So, when you do that, you should expect to lose.”