Tomlin will make sure Steelers bounce back

Time: 3: 30 p. m. Monday, Ch. 5. Line: Steelers by 9. Total: 44. Records ( overall/ ATS): Steelers 11- 3/ 6- 6- 2; Texans 4- 10/ 7- 7.

Mike Tomlin’s aggressive mantra — “We play, and we play to win” — met an indisputable NFL truth last Sunday at Heinz Field — “Nobody makes you play stupid like the Patriots” — and there was a decisive winner.

The Patriots torched the Steelers’ passive defense in the fourth quarter, and then — after teasing them with a defensive breakdown — watched the discombobulated Steelers implode in the final minute to seal a 27- 24 victory that very likely will force the Steelers to beat the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in the playoffs to reach the Super Bowl.

As the Seahawks and Falcons know all too well, the Patriots have a knack for forcing you to out- think yourself. Tomlin’s “play to win the game” approach sounds bold but was at least partially flawed. Kicking a field goal to tie the game and force overtime also gave them a chance to win the game.

It’s uncanny how even elite teams seem to choose red when it comes up black and vice versa against the Patriots. Being too passive often is the downfall, but being too aggressive can be a recipe for disaster, as well. That Eli Manning is the antidote for the Patriots’ big- game mystical power is just a quirk of NFL fate.

The Patriots and Bill Belichick got the best of Tomlin — again. But Tomlin is otherwise an outstanding coach who manages his team as well as anybody — much better than he manages a game. Some teams get spooked by a loss to the Patriots. Well- coached teams such as the Steelers respond. And they will.

Pick: Steelers 31, Texans 13.