There’s nothing like Steeler-on-Steeler crime.
During CBS’ halftime show Sunday, Bill Cowher criticized Mike Tomlin’s clock management at the end of the second quarter. Towards the conclusion of the Titans’ 10-minute drive in the second half, Ryan Tannehill completed a short pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. It seemed to be the perfect spot for the Steelers to call a timeout, since the Titans were near the goal line and there was still some time for Pittsburgh to get the ball back and score.
Yet, Tomlin didn’t stop the clock with 1:14 remaining. The Titans ran the clock down to 32 seconds before running their next play, which ended with Tannehill on his back, thanks to Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt. That’s when Tomlin took his second timeout, 38 seconds late. There was only 18 seconds left in the first half when the Steelers got the ball back. Their possession ended with a rare missed field goal from Chris Boswell from 56 yards out.
If the Steelers had more time, they probably would’ve been able to get into Boswell’s range. Cowher brought up that point to the agreement of everybody on set.
“After second down with 1:14 left to go, not calling a timeout, over 30 seconds run off the clock at the end of the first half,” he said. “They had a chance to have more time, and fell about five yards short of a field goal. Poor clock management for the Steelers at the end of the first half.”
Of course, Cowher is far from the first person to critique Tomlin’s in-game decision making. As The Fan’s Andrew Fillipponi pointed out, Tomlin still doesn’t seem to grasp how to manage the clock, despite coaching winning teams for the last 15 seasons. It’s a minor miracle.
True to form, the Steelers escaped with a win Sunday, thanks to their dominant defense. But that doesn’t excuse Tomlin’s horrendous decision to not stop the clock. The Steelers bailed out their coach … again.