Mike Tomlin blasts Steelers-Eagles refs after Darius Slay punches went unflagged

Obviously, the result on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia was not what any Pittsburgh Steelers fan was hoping for. A 27-13 loss to the Eagles dropped Mike Tomlin's club to 10-4 and it's clear more so than ever that Russell Wilson and the offense need George Pickens back in the fold in the worst way. But if you ask the head coach, Tomlin, he might also tell you that they could use a little less hurt from the officials.

As you'd expect in a battle for in-state bragging rights and two fiery teams, things got chippy early on between the Steelers and Eagles. After Pittsburgh was set up with great field position following a Cooper DeJean fumble on a punt return, the Steelers were down just 3-0 and had the ball on the Philadelphia 11-yard line.

On the first play of the drive — a screen pass to Najee Harris that went for seven yards — Steelers tight end Darnell Washington blocked Eagles corner Darius Slay through the back of the end zone. Things then got physical and what ostensibly amounts to a brawl began with both teams pushing, shoving and throwing some punches before the refs cleared everyone out.

When things settled down and as the refs sorted it out, though, the Eagles came away scot-free while Washington and Calvin Austin III were both flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. That's where Tomlin took exception.

Mike Tomlin blasts refs for penalizing Steelers and not Eagles after brawl

Even in the moment, you could see Tomlin's unhappiness with the refs and penalizing Pittsburgh but not Philadelphia, telling the official to "Get the f--k away from me!" after their brief conversation.

But Tomlin absolutely had a point, one that he continued to make. According to Brooke Pryor of ESPN, Tomlin argued that the refs' explanation for the calls "wasn't sufficient". And given that the pool report said that the Eagles players threw no punches, that further tracks — especially looking at the video of the incident that shows Slay and even perhaps Quinyon Mitchell pretty clearly throwing punches in the skirmish.

Tomlin was clearly still beside himself after the game. And when asked by the media in his postgame presser to explain the situation, he bristled at that notion, saying, "I'll let them explain that sequence. Why should I explain it?"

There are a lot of instances wherein players and coaches alike are upset with the refs but it could go either way. This is clearly not one of those cases. As you can see in the video above, the official is standing right there as Slay obviously throws punches at Washington. So how in the world do he and even replay assist in New York look at that and conclude that the Eagles threw no punches? It's baffling.

This isn't to say that a call going against the Eagles in that moment would've changed the result. Early in the game, though, it did feel like a momentum killer that could've flipped things in the first quarter. We'll never know, though, which is why Tomlin has every reason to blast the officiating for taking it out of his players' hands in that moment with an objectively bad call and assessment of the situation and brawl.