Another week, another blown lead for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But after a 26-7 collapse against the Buffalo Bills, the usual post-game platitudes gave way to a raw glimpse into a frustrated locker room. Defensive end T.J. Watt was left dumbfounded after witnessing the loss. Then, post-game, when a reporter asked what he could do as a leader to fix things, Watt gave a revealing glimpse into the state of the locker room.

“Have tough conversations,” T.J. Watt told reporters. “But we have been having tough conversations. So, it’s finding a way to just play better. Try to get everybody else, and look at myself in the mirror as well…We need to figure something out ‘cause clearly what’s been going on hasn’t been working effectively.” 

T.J. Watt’s tone said more than his actual words. You could tell the frustration had been building for weeks. And who could blame him? Once again, the Steelers held a halftime lead in Week 13. And once again, they let it evaporate. So, as Watt suggested, the game plan that head coach Mike Tomlin made has clearly not been working out for the Steelers.

The Week 13 game marked the fourth time in six losses that the Steelers had an advantage at halftime but couldn’t finish the job. The first half looked familiar as Pittsburgh relied on defense, field position, and red-zone toughness to stay afloat. They went into halftime up 7-3 and even had the ball to start the third quarter. But even with the lead, it felt like they were on borrowed time. 

On the first key play of the second half, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sacked, and he also fumbled the ball. Buffalo then took the opportunity to scoop it up for a touchdown. That moment felt like the dam breaking. The Bills then went on to score again and seized total control of the game. From there, the Steelers never recovered as they fell 26-7 to Buffalo. 

But what made the loss worse for the Steelers was how the Bills dominated on the ground. The Bills rushed for over 100 yards in the first half and finished with 249 yards in total. They didn’t rely on complex schemes, though, as they ran the same play repeatedly. And Pittsburgh could not stop any of them. As such, T.J. Watt was visibly frustrated after the game with how the Bills went about gashing the Steelers. 

“Play-making is what sets things off.” T.J. Watt also said in the post-game presser. “Not making plays, it s–ks. We need to find ways to be able to make plays. I mean, I’ve never seen a team run the same play as much as [the Bills] ran it tonight and have as much success as they had. I mean, I’m out of words for it.”

This performance also set an ugly record for Pittsburgh. Before the Bills, no team had ever rushed for more yards against the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. You have to go back to 1975 to find a worse home rushing performance. At that time, the Bills ran for 310 yards behind O.J. Simpson.

Sunday’s performance shocked the Steelers’ head coach enough to take shots at his locker room.

Mike Tomlin calls out the Steelers locker room for the Week 13 loss

Steelers fans booed their home team throughout the fourth quarter of the Week 13 game. They made their displeasure with the team clear as they further chanted, “Fire Tomlin.”

But after the loss, Mike Tomlin could not hide his frustrations with the team either. 

“Not a lot needs to be said, man,” Tomlin said in his post-game presser. “That’s an awful performance by us. We didn’t do a lot well tonight, obviously.”

Mike Tomlin made it clear that the Steelers just failed in almost every aspect of the game. He stated that the team’s offense did not possess the ball or maintain ball security, while they were also highly penalized. Tomlin also admitted that the Steelers allowed the Bills to run the ball and did not play 60 minutes of action. But he ultimately acknowledged that the team needs to learn from those mistakes and move forward. 

“Didn’t play complementary football,” Tomlin concluded. “And so we gotta absorb that result. We’re certainly not gonna feel sorry for ourselves.”

With time running out, there isn’t much for the Steelers to cling to. The criticism of Tomlin’s game plan has only increased. The AFC North lead could slip away as early as Week 14 when the Steelers face the Baltimore Ravens. So, something has to change in Pittsburgh. Players need to take responsibility, yes, but Mike Tomlin also must reassess his strategies and make tough choices.