Steelers, Fans Dealing With Disappointment Of Missing Playoffs
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers dropped another one in the final seconds of the game. Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was particularly disappointing because it knocked the Steelers out of the playoff race.
During his post-game press conference, Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin said he and his staff accept responsibility.
One day later, at his weekly press conference, Tomlin offered up an injury report and talked about how they will now begin preparing for their final opponent of the season with nothing on the line.
Tomlin said Heath Miller will require surgery after suffering a right knee injury at the end of the game. He says the tight end sustained an ACL injury with also the possibility of an MCL as well as a PCL injury.
Baron Batch is out next week, too. He had surgery this morning for a broken arm.
Tomlin also talked about how the team is now getting ready for this weekend's game against the Cleveland Browns with no post-season left to play for.
He says it a matter of being professional, playing for each other and playing for the fans.
Meanwhile, the day after a Steelers' loss is rarely pleasant for fans, that is, unless you are a Bengals' fan.
"I do feel a little bad for the Steelers because my wife is a big Steelers fan, but we're going to the playoffs, so… We'll probably lose to New England, but that's alright," said one Bengals' fan after the game.
Cincinnati's 13-10 win over the Steelers kicked Pittsburgh out of the post-season for the first time since 2009. Fans were not amused.
"Tomlin needs to go and Haley needs to go - both of them," said one Steelers fan. "Let's go Steelers next year."
Since mid-November, the Steelers have won only once.
On Sunday against the Bengals, they were only 2-for-14 on third-down conversions. It's a real let-down for a team that led the league in that category for much of the year.
"We haven't executed in a manner we would like to," said Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin.
Ben Roethlisberger's last-second interception gave the Bengals one final shot.
Their game winning 43-yard field goal dropped the Steelers below .500 for the season and put the bull's eye on the back of No. 7.
"The worst game I've ever seen him play," said one fan. "The team just wasn't together."
"It wasn't effective enough for us to win, I'll acknowledge that; but the things that we aspire to do and the processes in which we went about it at the early portions of the season are the same as they are today, of course with different results," Tomlin said.
Other fans say it was the penalties and too many sacks that cost the Steelers time after time.
"There's no discipline on the Steelers team. I think Tomlin lost total control of the team," one fan said. "I think they need… they do all that first down stuff, they've got to get rid of that."
And knowing they will be watching the playoffs instead of playing in them doesn't sit well with the coach.
"It's disheartening because we had chances as a football team. We did," said Tomlin.
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