Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin knew it was bad.
“Man, no need to sugar coat it,” Tomlin said after his team mustered just three points against the Patriots in their season opener. “We weren’t ready for prime time.”
Trailing 20-0 at halftime, the Steelers notched a field goal on their opening drive of the third quarter but failed to generate any sort of offensive rhythm. The Patriots, meanwhile, seemed to be clicking on all cylinders, scoring on seven of their 10 drives en route to a 33-3 victory.
Tomlin tipped his cap to the opposition but didn’t shirk any responsibility.