Even in victory, Mike Tomlin showed Steelers fans he hasn't learned a thing

The first NFL game in Ireland looked like it was going to go exactly how Pittsburgh Steelers fans had envisioned. Pittsburgh got off to a 21-6 lead over the Minnesota Vikings through three quarters thanks largely to D.K. Metcalf, Kenneth Gainwell and a stifling defense, but in the fourth quarter, everything changed. The Vikings seized control, outscoring Pittsburgh 15-3 and shockingly getting themselves back into the game, cutting the lead to just three points in the final minutes. The Steelers were able to hold them off in the end, but barely, and that has everything to do with head coach Mike Tomlin.

No, Tomlin didn't force Pittsburgh's defense to give up a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, but by refusing to go for it on a 4th-and-inches situation to ice the game, Tomlin was seemingly begging the Vikings to steal the game away. The decision was so bad that broadcasters Greg Olsen and Joe Davis were losing their minds in real time.

Pittsburgh's defense was able to get the clutch stop to end the game, but Tomlin's passive style nearly cost them yet another win. Steelers fans have seen this come into play in the past, and Tomlin being stuck in his ways will undoubtedly cost them again, even if it didn't on Sunday.

Mike Tomlin's risk-averse style nearly cost them the game

They won, so Tomlin will think he made the right decision, but he couldn't be more wrong here. The Steelers really had just half a yard to gain to ice the game. Yes, they were stopped on a third-and-short the play prior, and the run is easier to stop when you expect it, but does Tomlin really think his team is incapable of picking up a foot? Where is the desire to just take a game when the opportunity presents itself?

I mean, the Steelers picked up 11 first downs on the ground and rushed for 131 yards on 29 attempts (4.5 yards per carry). The math suggests they were able to run the ball at will, so what exactly was stopping Tomlin from thinking his team couldn't end the game right there?

What makes it even worse is that the punt resulted in a touchback, meaning that Pittsburgh netted a total of 14 yards of field position. They barely even pushed Minnesota back. Tomlin's team had a chance to ice the game, but his passiveness prevented them from even attempting to do so.

There's risk-averse, and then there's Mike Tomlin. I can get behind being passive in certain spots, but I think 99 percent of even the risk-averse head coaches go for it in that spot. There's no reason not to. Tomlin is the exception, and in the worst way.

Mike Tomlin finds a way to misplay even the correct decisions

It gets worse. Tomlin not only refused to go for it with the ability to ice the game, but he also shocked all of America (and maybe even Ireland) by going for it on fourth-and-goal from the three-yard line the drive prior. Going for it was undoubtedly the right call in that spot to try and push it from a two-score to a three-score lead, but nobody likes kicking field goals more than Tomlin. Even when he's willing to go for it, though, he does it incorrectly.

The play call was absurd. Sure, Tomlin isn't in charge of that, but if you think he wasn't in Arthur Smith's ear, ensuring that the team called an ultra-conservative run up the gut from the three-yard line, I don't know what to tell you. Yes, really: The Steelers ran the ball on fourth down when they needed three yards, but refused to do so when they needed less than one.

Tomlin has a Super Bowl ring on his resume and is clearly a good defensive head coach, but we've seen his risk-averse nature come back to bite Pittsburgh before. And while it didn't on Sunday, it almost certainly will sooner rather than later.