The Pittsburgh Steelers displayed a strong team effort in a win over the Panthers, but their antics nearly allowed Carolina to fight back into the game.
If fans were looking for a bounce-back performance after a disheartening game in Week 14, they certainly got that on Sunday. While the Carolina Panthers aren’t exactly a formidable opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers put their best foot forward to give a collectively strong effort on both sides of the football.
Mitch Trubisky was much-improved from his three-pick game the week prior, while the running game helped control the clock with ease. Defensively, a unit that allowed 215 rushing yards just a week ago help Carolina in check to just 21 yards on the ground for 1.3 yards per carry, per ESPN stats.
All of this equated to a 24-16 Steelers win (though the game was never really as close as the score would seem to indicate). Despite the win, there is one beef all fans should have with this team, and it stems from an utter lack of discipline.
Steelers must correct the lack of discipline
During the game, there were some bone-headed penalties that really could have cost Pittsburgh if they didn’t already have a comfortable lead. In the second half of the game, Diontae Johnson was penalized for taunting following an impressive third-down reception. Additionally, special teamer Marcus Allen might have had the worst taunting penalty I’ve ever seen as he entered the Panthers huddle and started jawing with opposing players.
Sadly, these weren’t the only incidents. After re-watching the game a second time, not only did Johnson and Allen’s dumb decisions stick out like a sore thumb, but Mason Cole, Najee Harris, and George Pickens each displayed chippiness after the whistle that could have been penalized.
Cole and Harris each jousted with an opposing player after the whistle and refused to back down. Meanwhile, Pickens made a very questionable decision to step over an official after a play (which really should have been a penalty).
Unfortunately, the Steelers are no strangers to this type of behavior in dead-ball situations. This type of stuff has happened far too often in the past for my liking, and it’s time for Mike Tomlin to step up and do something about it.
I know what attracts many players to Tomlin is the unique relationship he has with them. In a billion-dollar business, it’s important to keep your employees happy and well-fed in order to be a smooth-running, well-oiled machine. However, there reaches a point where you need to put your foot down and let your players know that you won’t tolerate stupidity that hurts the team.
Allen’s offense this past week, in particular, was completely inexcusable — a cuttable offense, if you ask me. While the results of this game weren’t affected, imagine if the situation was different and these penalties would have cost Pittsburgh a shot at the playoffs.
The Pittsburgh Steelers must clean up their act after the whistle and it starts with Mike Tomlin getting on his players. They need to know that this type of stuff will not fly.