With the win also came the end of a surreal journey to get to Wednesday. A COVID-19 outbreak for the Ravens led to three postponements of the game, which was initially the final contest in a Thanksgiving tripleheader. From Thursday to Sunday to Tuesday to Wednesday — finally. But with all the delays and uncertainty, there was no solace found for Tomlin, who refused to let the absurdity of what came ahead of the game be an excuse.
“We make no excuses,” he said. “We seek no comfort. We didn’t play well, coach well tonight.”
Known for often providing elongated answers at his pressers, Tomlin was most often short and ardent. This one clearly left a horrible taste. Just how horrible?
“I don’t know,” he said. “I know this one’s pretty frustrating.”
There are no losses as of now for the Steelers, but concerns are abundant. However, Tomlin believes what needs fixing isn’t all that difficult to figure.
“We don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” he said. “It’s not some transformational thing that needs to transpire. We got to coach better and play better when we get inside the bowl. I expect our group to do that Monday night, Monday evening, whenever it is that we play.”
And so the Steelers move forward to a Monday matchup with Washington in another rescheduled game with a perfect record and an unsatisfying showing.
“We’re fortunate tonight. It’s good to proceed with the victory. I acknowledge that,” Tomlin said. “But not a lot happened tonight to be proud of or to be excited about other than that.”