A Disgusted Steelers' Mike Tomlin Laments Loss To Chiefs As "Junior Varsity"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have once again lost three games in a row during a season. The NFL gave them a huge task to handle when they assigned them three games in less than two weeks against three of the best teams in the league, and unfortunately, they couldn't rise to the challenge. The most frustrating part is that, in all three games, the Steelers did not show the same level of consistent gameplay that they had in earlier games. Head Coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged that he sees how they played, and it's not acceptable. 

After being manhandled by the Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 29-10 on Christmas Day. Once again, the Steelers could not move the ball down the field, and their defense failed to stop the Chiefs. On top of that, the Steelers, once one of the best at winning the turnover battle, gave the Chiefs the ball twice and failed to force any turnovers. In addition, Pittsburgh was once again the victim of questionable officiating, and some of those cost them drives or changed momentum. 

Tomlin spoke with the media after the game and said that a loss like this doesn't feel good and doesn't look good. He acknowledged they just didn't do enough, especially against a team as dynamic as the Chiefs.   

"You know that sucked, to be blunt," admitted Tomlin. "Not the type of ball we want to play. You gotta score more than 10 points against an outfit like that. You can look at it from a lot of angles, the bottom line is it's junior varsity, it's not good enough. We gotta own that. But we also gotta look at what it is we need to do different. We're not gonna continue to do the same things and hope for a different result. That doesn't seem sharp to me. We're gonna take a hard look at this. We got a couple extra days before we get back into it and make whatever necessary changes we need to make."

Every time the Steelers started to move the ball, something seemed to go wrong. Quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked five times and threw an interception in the first quarter that stopped a drive that seemed destined for seven points. They got some momentum going in the second quarter after finally scoring a touchdown, at least defensively, as they held Patrick Mahomes and his high-powered offense to three punts. 

After the half, they slowed the Chiefs again, leading to a field goal. The Steelers kicked one of their own, but Pat Freiermuth fumbled the ball early in the fourth quarter. After that, they just couldn't recover, and it felt like they gave up. 

Steelers' AFC North Title In Danger

The Chiefs advance to 15-1 and the Steelers drop to 10-6 after starting out 10-3. Pittsburgh has already secured a playoff berth, but now their chances of winning the AFC North are in danger. 

If the Steelers had beaten the Ravens during their Week 16 matchup, they would have locked up the division. Now, the Steelers must win against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18. In addition, they need a loss by the Ravens.

The Steelers have a few extra days to prepare for the Bengals as well as the postseason. The return of George Pickens, DeShon Elliott, and Donte Jackson did not provide the anticipated spark. They did not look like the same team playing earlier this season, and as Tomlin said, they have to come back and show something different against the Bengals. 

What do you think has gone wrong these past three games? Click to comment below. 

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