Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has been criticized the past few seasons for his sluggish offenses. But there was nothing conservative about the Steelers’ approach during the 30–23 victory against the Seattle Seahawks.
“Hey, Sully, I don’t want to get conservative,” a mic'd up Tomlin told offensive play-caller Mike Sullivan in the final two minutes in Seattle. “They’ve been pounding that run. Rhythm pass, play to win.”
After punishing the Seahawks’ defense on the ground, the Steelers fooled them into thinking a run play was going to start their final drive with a seven-point advantage in hand and two minutes left in regulation. Instead, Mason Rudolph hit George Pickens for a 24-yard completion that forced Seattle to burn a timeout before killing the clock and sealing the victory to keep Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes alive.
