Tomlin says team improves on penalties
The Steelers are tied for the NFL lead in penalty yards, but coach Mike Tomlin is starting to see some improvement.
While the Steelers were penalized eight times for 60 yards in their victory in Baltimore, Tomlin said he was pleased that none of the penalties were on special teams.
“We’re working to get our penalties under control as a football team,” Tomlin said. “It was a significant step in a hostile game like that to not have any penalties in the kicking game.”
The Steelers are tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for most penalty yards (316) and are second to the San Francisco 49ers (39) with 37 penalties called against them.
But the Steelers have had 31 penalties called against their opponents, fifth-most in the league. Those penalties were for 320 yards, fourth most in the league. The combination of penalties for and against them have made for a lot of sloppy games.
It might not get any better this week. The team immediately ahead of the Steelers with most beneficiary penalties and yards are the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have had 36 penalties called against opponents for 322 yards. The Steelers and Jaguars play at 1 p.m. Sunday at Heinz Field.
Tomlin was not surprised by the number of penalties in Baltimore because of the officiating crew.
“We had Walt [Anderson] and that crew last weekend. It’s a widely known fact that crew throws more penalties than most crews in football,” Tomlin said. “We talked openly in preparation for the game about it. Eight per se doesn’t necessarily describe our quality of play. We knew Walt and his crew call it tight and they did. I wasn’t displeased about our execution from that perspective knowing those variables.”
Close to the vest
The Steelers are 3-1 and tied for the second-best record in the NFL and Tomlin said “I like the direction we’re headed.”
Tomlin called the 26-9 victory against the Ravens “a big win for us, a necessary one.” He said the Steelers game plan was to try to avoid turnovers and not take chances against a Ravens defense that had 10 takeaways in their first two games. He said turnovers have historically been the difference in the number of close games the teams have had over the years.
“I felt like if we took care of the football, it didn’t have to be one of those close games,” Tomlin said. “That was a significant element how the game unfolded.”
Turnover streak
The Steelers hold the longest active streak of most consecutive games with a takeaway with 14 games, dating to last season — their longest since a 15-game streak in the 2004-05 seasons. The Jaguars are the nextclosest team with an eightgame active streak.
The Steelers had three takeaways against the Ravens, including interceptions by Ryan Shazier and nickel back Mike Hilton. Cam Heyward also had a fumble recovery.
“I can’t say enough about the fourth-quarter turnovers we were able to get,” Tomlin said. “Turnovers are one thing, but to create negativity in the significant moments of the game, to get those game-altering plays. Huge plays in the football game.”