Distance, faith in defense led Mike Tomlin to punt in 4th quarter of Steelers' loss to Eagles

Mike Tomlin didn’t expect the Philadelphia Eagles to run out the final 10 minutes, 29 seconds to put a stranglehold on a 27-13 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Otherwise, Tomlin would not have sent his punt team on the field at that stage of the fourth quarter with his team near midfield and trailing by two scores. The Steelers faced a fourth-and-7 at the Philadelphia 46 when Tomlin elected to punt.

The distance was a main factor in Tomlin’s decision to take an offense that had accumulated just 163 yards and 10 first downs off the field.

“Had it been inside fourth-and-5, I’d definitely have gone for it,” Tomlin said Monday at his weekly news conference. “From an analytical perspective, the further you are away from the line to gain, the less you are of success.

“We had three timeouts. I took the chance and thought we could stop them, get the ball back and play the field position game. The distance was a little too uncomfortable for me.”

The Steelers, of course, never got the ball back. The Eagles gained six first downs, made Tomlin exhaust all of his timeouts and drove from their 3 to the Steelers 9 while running out the clock.

“I believe that our defense is capable of getting off the field,” Tomlin said. “That probably was a component of the decision to punt on fourth-and-7. I understand how the game was going, but I’ve been working with these guys day-in and day-out for a long time. Particularly in the weighty moments, I’ve got confidence in them, and that confidence is unwavering.”

Controversial calls

On the punt in question, the Eagles were called for unnecessary roughness when defensive lineman Jalen Carter slapped Connor Heyward in the head. The Steelers should have retained possession because of the infraction, getting a first down at the Philadelphia 31, but it was ruled that the penalty occurred after the punt. Replays indicated that contact was initiated before the ball was kicked.

“I was not,” Tomlin said when asked whether he was satisfied by the official explanation.

It wasn’t the only officiating call that went against the Steelers.

Darnell Washington and Calvin Austin were called for unnecessary roughness, and no Eagles players were flagged for a scrum out of the end zone in the first half. Instead of having a second down at the 4, the Steelers were backed up to the 19.

Washington and Eagles cornerback Darius Slay exchanged shoves, but referee Alan Eck said in a pool report that no Eagles players were witnessed throwing punches. Again, replays showed otherwise.

“I didn’t read (the pool report) because I saw it as it happened,” Tomlin said. “I hadn’t had a chance to talk to New York because I’ve been focusing on what is going on with Baltimore.”

Tomlin did acknowledge the momentum-changing plays at the outset of his news conference.

“I know a lot has been said about some controversial officiating calls in the game, but I just believe when you play well, those things get minimized,” he said, “and when you play poorly, those things get highlighted. We’re not going to hide behind those things or seek comfort in those things.”

Stuck in a corner

With Donte Jackson out of the game with a back injury, backup James Pierre was in coverage on a 2-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith that gave the Eagles a 17-3 lead.

Pierre allowed four catches on as many targets, and 21 of the 33 yards against him came after the catch. Pierre also faces a fine for a hip-drop tackle that was not penalized.

If Jackson doesn’t return Saturday against Baltimore, Pierre figures to be the next man up unless the Steelers turn to Corey Trice, who was a healthy scratch against the Eagles and hasn’t played since Week 3 because of a hamstring injury.

“When called upon, both guys have delivered and delivered to a satisfactory level,” Tomlin said. “I’m confident in terms of how they practice and approach their business, so I don’t know that that’s a big issue for us.”