Tomlin says momentum shift hurt in loss to Ravens

[hawaiiansteeler]

Steelers notebook: Tomlin says momentum shift hurt in loss to Ravens

By Mark Kaboly
Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015

Mike Tomlin didn't necessarily say during his Tuesday news conference that he second-guessed his decision of going for it fourth down on the opening drive Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, but he admitted that not converting “gave (the Ravens) life.”

“I thought it was a critical element of the game when we went for it on fourth-and-1 and were unsuccessful,” Tomlin said. “I thought it created an environment where it gave them life and created a more hostile environment than it already was.”

Tomlin decided against attempting a 43-yard field goal by Chris Boswell, possibly because of how easily the Steelers moved the ball on the initial drive by rushing for 52 yards on five attempts — 46 by DeAngelo Williams.

On the fourth down, guard Ramon Foster stumbled trying to pull. That set up a loss by Williams and a turnover on downs that the Ravens turned into a 15-play touchdown drive to make it 7-0.

“We've got to come out faster, we've got to win those possession downs at the significant portions of the game, offensively and defensively,” Tomlin said.

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[ALLD]

I saw the Bengals miss a FG in the 2nd quarter against the Broncos this week and it was the catalyst for the big come back by the donkeys. Yes, often you can pin a loss on one or two plays being or not being executed by one team. Steelers made multiple big plays in the most recent Super Bowl wins against the Seahawks and Cardinals.

This loss however, was due to bad management that piled up and then converged in a must win tough scenario. I like to think several steps ahead and have contingency plans in how I run my business. I still say it looks like the Steelers took the holiday week off and the Ravens didn't.

[86WARD]

Yeah...I said it. It went from being a 4 win team playing the season out to a rivalry game that instant. It gave the Ravens all the life in the world right there. The confidence to get the win...

[86WARD]

the week before when asked if you can feel a momentum shift in the game, Tomlin said he could but that the team must not respond to it...they must just keep an even keel...his teams don't ride the emotional roller coaster.