"We weren't a group on the rise at the end of the game," said Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin during his opening remarks addressing Sunday's loss to New England.
Addressing the media on Monday, due to a short with a with a game against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night, Tomlin didn't blame any individual coach or player for the loss, emphasizing more that the entire team needs to be better.
Asked about the play calling of Matt Canada and if he was happy with it on the offense, Tomlin said he wasn't happy with many parts of the game.
He also talked about quarterback Mitch Trubisky's lack of awareness and said that he could and "we" could look down the field more.
Tomlin also went on to say about Trubisky, "I've liked a lot of what he's done to be honest with you."
He did seem to criticize Trubisky at one point saying, We had one-on-one playmaking opportunities and we didn't get that done."
It was a tight game between two mediocre-looking teams and Tomlin pointed to three plays that he believed prevented the Steelers from going 2-0.
The first was the touchdown drive by Mac Jones and the Patriots offense at the end of the first half.
Ahkello Witherspoon was all over Nelson Agholor but the wide receiver jumped over the Steelers cornerback for a 44-yard touchdown.
After the game, Witherspoon said he wasn't worried about Agholor "elevating" because "he's a smaller receiver."
Another "significant" play was the muffed punt. Tomlin said the Steelers only had 10 players on the field for the punt and Gunner Olszewski saw the ball bounce off his facemask and into New England's possession to set up a short-field touchdown.
The final significant play, according to Tomlin, was the gift-wrapped interception for cornerback Cam Sutton that he was unable to hold on to in the second half.
Those three mistakes were major, but let's hope Tomlin and his staff focus on the inadequate offense that CBS Sports analyst Charles Davis called "small ball" during Sunday's loss.
