Mike Tomlin didn’t like the performance.
But the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach had a name for it.
“Junior varsity,” Tomlin said Wednesday after a 29-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. “It’s not good enough. We got to own that.”
The Steelers can own now the deficiencies that have derailed their AFC North title hopes and produced a three-game losing streak.
Or, they can own these troubling trends after an early postseason exit. Because that’s the road the Steelers are headed down if this formula continues to repeat itself.
In three straight games against playoff-bound opponents, the Steelers have managed fewer than 20 points each game and allowed more than 27 each time.