While in Philadelphia Eagles’ territory with 10:40 left in the fourth quarter and trailing by two scores, Mike Tomlin decided to punt the ball and the Steelers wouldn’t touch the ball again after the Eagles went on a 22-play drive that killed the rest of the clock.

Would the Steelers have won if they had gone for it and converted? Maybe not. But this is just another example of Mike Tomlin not being able to help himself when it comes to being ultra-conservative when you need to be aggressive.

This was just a microcosm of the Steelers’ issues on the day, which actually started off well. Pittsburgh had two fumble recoveries in the first quarter that led to three points and what looked to be a low-scoring matchup. T.J. Watt forced the first fumble which led to the Steelers punting the ball right back to the Eagles before Mark Robinson punched the ball away from Cooper DeJean which was recovered by Nick Herbig and led to a Chris Boswell field goal. However, the Eagles answered with two consecutive touchdown drives that featured the Steelers’ fourth three-and-out of the first half sandwiched between them.

The Steelers rallied back, though, with an 11-play drive that was capped off by a Russell Wilson touchdown pass to Pat Freiermuth, who continues his terrific season. The Steelers forced a three-and-out and added another Boswell field goal before the half. However, the second half was all about the Eagles controlling the ball and the clock. The two teams combined for 13 drives in the first half to just five drives in the second half.

The Eagles had three drives that went as follows:

13 plays, field goal
13 plays, touchdown
21 plays, end of game

Philadelphia held the ball for over 24 minutes in the second half. Pittsburgh’s defense couldn’t get off the field, and their offense couldn’t sustain any drives. Their one chance to make the game interesting went as quick as it came. Russell Wilson connected on a 31-yard pass to Calvin Austin on a flea flicker to start their first drive of the second half. Three plays later, Najee Harris dropped a pitch that was recovered by the Eagles, and the Steelers wouldn’t run another offensive play in Eagles’ territory all night.

Russell Wilson finished with just 128 yards on 14-of-22 passing while Harris and Warren combined for just 28 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts was efficient and deadly all evening, going 25-of-32 for 290 yards and two scores while the Eagles also gobbled up 131 yards on the ground. A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith had their way with the Steelers’ secondary, combining for 19 receptions for 219 yards and two touchdowns.

Despite the lackluster performance, the Steelers’ still control their own destiny. If they defeat the Baltimore Ravens this Saturday, they win the AFC North. And it looks like they’ll have T.J. Watt, who left the game in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury that he revealed to just be a twist, per Nick Farabaugh of PennLive – No. 90 should be good to go. So while Sunday’s performance left a lot to be desired, the Steelers still have all of their goals for the taking and under their own control, but a lot will need tightened up between now and Saturday if they want to leave Baltimore wearing t-shirts and hats.