Steelers fans blast Mike Tomlin for questionable 4th down call vs. Ravens - "Most embarrassing coaching performance"

Mike Tomlin and the Steelers visited Baltimore to take on the Ravens in the Wild Card round and lay down a maker of their championship ambitions after a disappointing end to the regular season. After losing the AFC North to their hated rivals, Pittsburgh had a chance to knock them out.

However, the Steelers' first half mimicked the way their season finished. It was unimaginative, they could get nothing going on offense, and the play-calling was extremely conservative. Nothing characterized it more than a fourth-and-inches call, where Mike Tomlin decided to punt the ball instead of trying to pick up a first down despite his team trailing the Ravens. He did not even utilize Justin Fields, as they had done in some other packages, instead bringing out the special teams.

It meant that Pittsburgh finished with just two first downs in the first half and trailed 21-0 at the break. Steelers fans took to X/Twitter to express their frustration with their head coach and here are some of those comments.

Some asked for Mike Tomlin to be fired and pointed out how outdated his coaching looked. Many fans noted that he was not being urgent enough given the circumstances, and here are some more responses from the social media platform.

"Mike Tomlin coaches like it’s the 90s. Punt on 4th no matter the distance. Doesn’t take any chances." - fumed one.

"This game is over. Mike Tomlin punting on 4th and inches was all I needed to see. The Steelers stink." - complained another.

"Mike Tomlin accepted defeat. Two punts on 4th and short. No urgency down 14. Not understanding punt is a death sentence due to time of possession. Mike gotta be fired. Steelers under Mike simply been good enough to get blown out in the playoffs… what a honor" - said a third.

Mike Tomlin under serious pressure against Ravens owing to his Steelers' playoff record

The Steelers is known as one of those organizations that does not change coaches on a whim. Mike Tomlin is a Super Bowl winner and has never had a losing season. It is an impressive record.

However, he has not won a playoff game since 2016. Coming up to nearly a decade of postseason failure might be too much for Pittsburgh, though. They are the winningest franchise in NFL history and at some point, these discussions need to be had.

On the other hand, Lamar Jackson, who has been similarly criticized for his performance in knockout games, came out and played a blinder in the first half. He was putting his ghosts to rest while shoving some towards Mike Tomlin at the same time.