The Pittsburgh Steelers have lost consecutive games after their frustrating collapse against the Buffalo Bills in front of their home fans on Sunday.
The 26-7 loss against the Bills have dropped the Steelers to 6-6 for the season, level with divison rivals the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North. Interestingly, Pittsburgh is set to play the Ravens twice in their remaining five games this season, starting with the Week 14 clash on Sunday.
When Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was asked about his team’s remaining slate of fixtures and facing the Ravens twice, Tomlin responded with a sarcastic jab.
“I really enjoy the structure that is today’s NFL scheduling,” Tomlin said.
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Before going into the Baltimore scouting report, Mike Tomlin praises the NFL scheduling and says he likes having divisional games at this time of year. Steelers play Ravens twice in the last five weeks: “I really enjoy the structure that is today’s NFL scheduling.”
Despite losing five of their last seven games, the Steelers could topple the Ravens for the AFC North if they sweep their divisional rivals. Their first meeting is on Sunday, followed by games against the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, and Cleveland Browns, followed by the regular-season finale against Baltimore.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin addressed his players’ frustrations during Bills game
The Steelers players and coach Mike Tomlin were booed by Pittsburgh fans during the Bills game for the underwhelming performance in the second half. The frustration got the better of some Steelers players as well and Tomlin addressed it after the game.
“Frustration became a component of it, which is a natural thing,” Tomlin said. “We want to win, we want to do what’s required to win, but we didn’t necessarily express that want appropriately. We kind of talked about that some yesterday as a collective.”
While Tomlin said he wanted his players to handle the situation better, he didn’t want them to apologize for showing fight and caring about the result.
“I never want people to apologize for caring,” Tomlins said. “I view the frustration displayed last year that way. Guys were in fight mode. … They didn’t necessarily express it appropriately. But also, how do we move on from that?”
The pressure is building on Tomlin and his players and it will be interesting to see how they respond against the Ravens on Sunday.