Tomlin lost faith in Steelers’ defense

PITTSBURGH (AP) — When a weary Mike Tomlin arrived home from the Steelers’ 37-36 victory over the Packers, 8-year-old Dino popped the same question to his dad that much of Pittsburgh was asking.

Why did you try that onside kick?

According to the Steelers coach, his son got the politically incorrect answer.

“I just told him to be quiet,” Tomlin said, laughing, on Tuesday.

The answer for the rest of the world was slightly more complicated, but essentially came down to this: Tomlin no longer believed his defense could stop the Packers during Green Bay’s 22-point fourth quarter.

Had the Steelers (7-7) lost, Tomlin’s gamble would have been as debated among Steelers fans as much as Patriots coach Bill Belichick’s decision to go for it on fourth-and-2 at his own 28 late in the fourth quarter against Indianapolis.

New England failed, giving the Colts a short field to drive for the game-winning score.

Tomlin’s move didn’t work, either, but the difference was the Steelers still had time to recover from it and win, keeping their AFC playoff hopes alive for another week.

With the Steelers leading 30-28 with 3:58 remaining on Sunday, Jeff Reed’s bouncing attempt was fielded by Pittsburgh’s Ike Taylor before it traveled the required 10 yards. Green Bay took over at the Pittsburgh 39 and needed just six plays to score on Aaron Rodgers’ 24-yard pass to James Jones for a 36-30 lead.

If the Steelers had lost, Tomlin might have been spent the next six months explaining the call.

“My 8-year-old asked me what I was thinking. Other than that, I make no apologies,” Tomlin said. “In the latter part of the fourth quarter, I felt that both offenses were capable of moving the football.”

The Steelers had just enough time, with Ben Roethlisberger throwing a 19-yard TD pass to Mike Wallace on the final play to finish off the quarterback’s 503-yard passing day and end the Steelers’ five-game losing streak.

Regardless, the Steelers players now head into their final two games wondering why there’s any reason to be confident in the defense when the head coach apparently isn’t.

“We had 30 minutes of evidence to show they could also drive the ball on us,” Tomlin said. “That’s why we took the risk when we did.”

For the season, the Steelers’ 121 points allowed in the fourth quarter are the second-most in the league. By comparison, the New Orleans Saints have permitted 34 points.