Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike Tomlin isn't worried about offensive style points
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin led his team into Buffalo as a significant underdog and beat the Buffalo Bills, a highly-skilled team many believe has a true shot at playing in February.
On a day where Ben Roethlisberger and company were below average, the Pittsburgh front man isn’t concerned about the sub-par stats from the offensive stat sheet.
“We weren’t style point-oriented today, We just had to win this game,” Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said after the game.
The Steelers’ defense was the clear difference maker, limiting Josh Allen and the prolific Bills’ offense to a sub-par performance. They allowed no touchdowns the entire second half as they battled back from a 10-0 halftime deficit. Late in the fourth quarter, Ulysees Gilbert scooped up a blocked punt for a touchdown
The Steelers’ offense wasn’t great. They averaged just 4.6 yards per play and finished the game with just 252 total yards. A fourth-quarter pass from Roethlisberger to Dionte Johnson was Pittsburgh’s only offensive touchdown of the day.
“You know we aren’t worried about style points. We’ll let you guys write whatever you’re going to write.” Tomlin said when asked if he felt like the offense has regressed. “We knew it would be tough sledding. They got a great defense, not only in continuity but in schematics. We are playing them in their place, we had a bunch of new pieces.
Pittsburgh Steelers redemption receiver
After being benched for dropped passes in a game against Buffalo in 2020, Dionte Johnson came up in the biggest moment of the game, effectively sealing the victory and his expanded role on the Steelers’ offense for 2021.
He caught the five-yard go-ahead touchdown pass that gave Pittsburgh its first lead of the game. The Steelers won 23-16 and Johnson said he was happy to get a shot at redemption.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger finished 18-of-32 passing for 183 yards and a touchdown — that touchdown. He said postgame he was proud of the way his third-year receiver battled back.
“I told him to be patient because sometimes he can get impatient with the double move route, and he did,” Roethlisberger said. “His ball skills are through the roof.”
Johnson finished with just 36 yards, but his touchdown was the biggest play of the game. He kept his focus despite cornerback Levi Wallace tipping the ball. Johnson also left the game with a knee injury on the previous series.
“It was just really concentration,” Johnson said. “Just keeping my eyes on the ball throughout the whole play and just making the play. … We just thought someone had to make a play, and I just stepped up to help the team.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers will look to keep their winning streak alive when they face the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. It will be a tough test for Pittsburgh, but many believed the Steelers would get throttled by Buffalo, too. Las Vegas looked the part as Derek Carr finally hushed the critics in a brilliant comeback overtime win over the Ravens.