The Baltimore Ravens ran over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round on Saturday. The Steelers failed on both sides of the ball and looked ill-prepared for the postseason.
During the game, former NFL-tight-end-turned-broadcaster Greg Olsen highlighted his gripe with the Steelers’ plan. Olsen aimed at Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin’s decision-making.
Greg Olsen Had Issues With Mike Tomlin’s Timeout Calls
Before Pittsburgh embarked on their playoff game vs. Baltimore, Tomlin had been facing pressure to retain his job.
After this embarrassing 28-14 loss, Olsen’s harsh words will do him no favors. The three-time Pro Bowler took to X (formerly Twitter) to air his judgment, before the game officially concluded.
“In the 4th quarter, BAL has run 15 plays and burned over 10 min of game clock. Pitt did not call a single timeout on defense while trailing 2 scores. Mind blowing,” he tweeted.
In the 4th quarter, BAL has run 15 plays and burned over 10 min of game clock
Pitt did not call a single timeout on defense while trailing 2 scores
Mind blowing
— Greg Olsen (@gregolsen88) January 12, 2025
The former Carolina Panthers man was not the only one to criticize Tomlin as the 52-year-old had been on the receiving end of fans’ disapproval throughout the game. Hence, it’s not shocking that Olsen received positive responses from the fans for his criticism.
The Steelers faced the brunt end of the Ravens’ running game. Lamar Jackson aided by Derrick Henry racked up 297 rushing yards, the most by any team against the Steelers in their entire playoff history.
Tomlin Blames the Offense for Elimination
After the loss, Tomlin faced several questions regarding his defense being unable to curtail Jackson or Henry. However, Tomlin maintained that the fault lay with the offense. “That was highlighted by our inability to convert third downs in the first half,” he said to the media. “They wore us down a little bit. The fatigue component of it became a factor.”
Tomlin maintained the same stance as he was asked why his defense couldn’t work. “Not in combination with our ineffectiveness on offense. I just think when you’re on the grass like that, particularly against a unit like that with a guy like Lamar, it could look the way it looked. We just weren’t good enough to be quite honest with you.”
“A drop here and there and things of that nature. When you’re playing good people, it really gets highlighted. We just weren’t good enough. We just haven’t moved the ball well enough or consistently enough. We haven’t scored enough points. Particularly in January football, you got to score points and we weren’t able to do that,” he added.