Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin didn't hold back his displeasure on a controversial call that sealed the team's humiliating 21-18 defeat to the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football.
“I was given an explanation, I don't know if I agree with it, but I was given an explanation,” Tomlin told reporters after the game.
Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz was penalized for a false start on 4th down and 3 in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, a penalty that sent the team's punting unit back five yards.
Another look at the call revealed that the penalty should have gone against the Patriots, which would have awarded the Steelers a fresh set of downs.
“You see that almost every time on a snap and it's never called,” said Prime Video color commentator Kirk Herbstreit. “I think that's a bad call.”
When asked if the play was the Steelers primary play call, Tomlin replied: “It was. We were down there. We play to win. We wanted to be aggressive. We just didn't get it done.”
With the loss, the Steelers have fallen in two consecutive games to the Patriots and the Arizona Cardinals —two teams with a combined 6-20 record this season.
The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Patriots, who now stand at 3-10 on the season. Their terrible season has led many to speculate on the future of head coach Bill Belichick.
“We needed it. I just feel good we could get it done for Bill and the rest of the coaches,” the Patriots' Jabrill Peppers told reporters following the game, “I don't really like all the flak he's been getting, because it's on us as players to go out and execute.”
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