We knew the weather was going to play a factor in the Steelers' Thursday Night Football game against the Cleveland Browns. What we didn't know is how poorly-coached this contest would be.
From the very first possession of the game, Mike Tomlin made a questionable call that left fans scratching their heads. With the Steelers stalling out just past mid-field, Tomlin opted to bring in Chris Boswell and the special teams for a 58-yard field goal attempt.
Under normal circumstances, this would be a no-brainer decision. But Tomlin apparently wasn't aware of the snow and the 25-mile-per-hour wind gusts. Boswell's kick went wide right, and the Steelers gave the ball back to Cleveland with great field position.
On Pittsburgh's next offensive possession, the Steelers found themselves in a fourth-and-inches situation. Arthur Smith and the offense elected to predictably run Jaylen Warren for what resulted in a loss of one and a turnover on downs.
After Russell Wilson fumbled the ball away just before the half, the Steelers turned the ball over again on downs halfway through the third quarter. This time on an all-too-obvious Justin Fields designed run.
Steelers head coach can't use bad weather as excuse for bad decision-making
As much as we would love to blame the swirling winds and heavy snowfall in this contest, the blame starts with Tomlin and his shaky decision-making. Whether it was his decision to bring out the field goal unit or his bad clock management, this was frustrating to watch.
The Steelers have moved the ball at times, but this team simply can't put points on the board.
This is AFC North football. It's late November and fans love watching the snow pile in. But we need to see results on the field, and we can't use the weather conditions as an excuse. The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting outcoached and outplayed on Thursday Night Football.