The Pittsburgh Steelers avoided complete disaster in Dublin on Sunday morning, defeating the Minnesota Vikings by three points. Pittsburgh gave up 15 points in the fourth quarter, and their collapse would've been marred by two critical fourth-down decisions by head coach Mike Tomlin. The Steelers had their chances to put the game away, but fell short, either due to curious play calls or their own choosing.
Tomlin is a notoriously conservative decision-maker. He hasn't coached a quarterback the caliber of Aaron Rodgers since Ben Roethlisberger retired. With Rodgers at the helm, the 41-year-old has a bit more sway than his predecessors in convincing Tomlin to keep an open mind, especially when the game is on the line.
Mike Tomlin's two mistakes nearly cost Steelers the game in Dublin
In the Steelers first fourth-down gaffe, they had the ball at the Vikings three-yard line. After plenty of begging and pleading from Rodgers, Pittsburgh finally went for it. However, they had to run the field goal team off of the field, thus forcing Arthur Smith into a rushed play call. That call...wasn't ideal. Rodgers handed the ball off to Kenneth Gainwell from the three, who ran right into a brick wall. Gainwell had a remarkable game in Jaylen Warren's steed, but taking the ball out of Rodgers' hands in that instance was coaching malpractice. As much as I want to blame Smith for the call, I can't help but assume he would've made a different decision if he had more time.
The second fourth-down decision occurred near the Vikings 40 with just over a minute remaining. The Steelers had the ball on a fourth-and-1. Minnesota had no timeouts remaining, so a first down would've essentially ended the game. Rather than trust his quarterback on a QB sneak of some sort, Tomlin instead asked Rodgers to draw the Vikings offside. It didn't work, and Pittsburgh punted. That surrender punt landed in the end zone, so the Steelers gained a net 20 yards and gave the Vikings over a minute to drive into field goal range. Thankfully, the defense stood on its head.
Mike Tomlin showed his cards on Steelers offense, Aaron Rodgers
As I mentioned on the Still Curtain podcast Sunday afternoon, the Steelers invested plenty of time and effort into convincing Rodgers to sign this offseason. While Rodgers was never going to stay in New York, he very well could've retired, or even signed with Kevin O'Connell with the Vikings if they wanted him. Instead, Rodgers eventually relented and signed in Pittsburgh. While the offense still has plenty to work on, if this team is going to win a playoff game for the first time since 2016, Tomlin will have to take some chances.
Tomlin and Rodgers have plenty of mutual respect. However, the first sign of drama came this past week, when Rodgers admitted his dismay regarding the Steelers travel schedule. That, ultimately, comes down to Tomlin considering the influence he has within the organization.
If Tomlin continues to prove a lack of faith in the Steelers offense – an act that wasn't warranted given how they performed in Dublin – Rodgers could get irked. For once, I might agree with him.