With less than a minute remaining in the game, Russell Wilson made a shot pass to TE Pat Freiermuth. He couldn’t hold on to the ball. That fumble not only crashed the hopes of Steeler Nation, but it also left even the HC Mike Tomlin fuming. It was their 4th loss in a row, just before entering the playoffs. Not the ideal scenario he wanted.

During the post-game conference, he threw the Steelers offense under the bus and said, “We certainly had our opportunities to win the game but we didn’t. I mean we got to own that not enough routine playmaking… And I just thought that particularly on the offensive side, we didn’t do enough routine things well to move the ball with fluidity, to win possession downs, to possess it, to score.” That’s right. On the 3rd play of the last drive, WR George Pickens couldn’t reach the ball which went into the sidelines after hitting the ground. The fans couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

The concerns were there about Russell Wilson underperforming in weather below 40°F. All those came true in Acrisure Stadium on Saturday. But the entire team showed no fight against the Bengals. Starting with the ball possession, they had the ball only for 22 minutes compared to the away team who kept it for 38 minutes.

For the Steelers, the regular season ended 10-7. But the fans are worried about their mental state after the 4th loss in a row. In the game, Joe Burrow recorded 37 of 46 passes in 277 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Russell Wilson had 17 of 31 passes in 148 yards with 1 touchdown.

However, Mr. Unlimited is in a better zone. The team is into the playoffs while the Bengals aren’t. They are relying on the outcomes of the Broncos vs Chiefs and Dolphins vs Jets game. But the Steelers would have liked to enter the postseason with a victory. It didn’t happen. However, the Steelers’ coach accepted the blame for their fourth defeat in a row.

Mike Tomlin takes the blame graciously

The Steelers seemed a bit off in week 18. They even made 5 punts to the Bengals’ 3. Even at halftime, the coach was angry with his team and accepted the blame. Standing on the sidelines, he said, “If we can’t get a yard, we don’t deserve to win the game. So obviously we didn’t like, what, only 12 passing attempts through the first three quarters. Again, we weren’t doing enough to possess the ball.” The home team only had 75 yards (27 passing, 48 rushing) while their rivals were way ahead with 172 yards (145 passing, 27 rushing).

On being asked about his approach to put the last four losses behind, he said, “I don’t know that you go clean slate. You know you better learn from these lessons. You know what I mean. It’s okay. We’re a mentally tough group.” That speaks volumes about his grit.

For now, the need for the time is to stay in good shape. When he joined, their QB said that he wanted to win championships with the franchise. It’s time to turn words into action. Mike Tomlin would be eager to watch the tape and change the shortcomings. That’s all they can do now.