Pittsburgh kept its celebration measured after upsetting the Colts, with Mike Tomlin reminding everyone that one good Sunday does not erase the inconsistency that preceded it.
The Steelers leaned on takeaways and timely red zone offense to close out Indianapolis, and Tomlin’s postgame tone matched the locker room: humble, businesslike, aware that the margin for error remains thin.
Gerry Dulac, a longtime Steelers insider, added texture to Tomlin’s stance when he relayed the coach’s appraisal of rookie receiver Roman Wilson: Tomlin likes Wilson’s growth, other than that bone-headed lack of ball security the other day.”
The point landed the way Tomlin intended, praise tethered to a fixable detail. Wilson’s burst and route craft are earning trust, the ball security lapse is a teachable moment, and the rookie’s snap share suggests the staff expects him to be part of the answer down the stretch.
Context matters for why Tomlin is threading the needle. Pittsburgh’s defense just strung together a takeaway-heavy performance, three interceptions that flipped the script after a flat stretch, and the offense spread the ball smartly.
Aaron Rodgers steered a clean game, and the run game found short-yardage answers with Jaylen Warren in the red zone. That is the template the Steelers want: protect possessions, finish drives, and ask the defense to close.
It also explains why Tomlin pumped the brakes on hype, the same group stumbled a week earlier, and the next test comes quickly on the road.
Wilson sits at the center of what Pittsburgh needs more of: separation on third down, yards after the catch without inviting contact, precise spacing in condensed areas. Tomlin’s public note on ball security serves two purposes: it nudges a promising rookie toward pro habits and signals to the room that details, not slogans, will decide November and December.
Ownership’s temperature on Tomlin remains more complicated than a hot-seat headline. As Gerry Dulac has framed it, Art Rooney II is not angry; the better words are frustrated or impatient, a distinction that underscores urgency without panic.
The mandate is simple: stack complete games, keep the defense aligned with its payroll, and let a steadier offense take some pressure off late-game heroics. If the Colts' win was a reset, it will show up in cleaner situational football and fewer self-inflicted errors, the kind of week-to-week growth Tomlin has long demanded.
