ExtremeRavens Posted January 12 Posted January 12 Kirk Herbstreit is not impressed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Late in the second quarter of Saturday night’s AFC wild-card game, the Prime Video and longtime “College GameDay” analyst questioned the team’s effort as they fell behind 14-0 against the archrival Ravens. “Where the hell is the fight?” Herbstreit said between plays. “This is the Pittsburgh Steelers. There’s nothing. They’re just going through the motions.” "Where the hell is the fight?! This is the Pittsburgh Steelers! There's nothing! They're just going through the motions!" – Kirk Herbstreit #NFL pic.twitter.com/MTfWosRwqj — Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 12, 2025 The former Ohio State quarterback’s comments were as stunning as the play on the field. After the Steelers won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball first — bucking the current trend to defer and receive the ball after halftime — they picked up just one first down and punted. The Ravens then drove 95 yards on 13 plays, culminating with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Lamar Jackson to Rashod Bateman for a 7-0 lead. It only got worse from there. Pittsburgh went three-and-out on its next two possessions, which included a conservative decision from coach Mike Tomlin. Facing fourth-and-inches on their own 29-yard line, the Steelers chose not to go for it despite facing an early deficit against perhaps the best offense in the league. After a 56-yard punt, the Ravens drove 85 yards on 13 plays — all runs by either Jackson or bruising running back Derrick Henry — and scored another touchdown to take a 14-0 lead. That prompted a discussion between Herbstreit and veteran play-by-play announcer Al Michaels, who called Tomlin and fellow coach John Harbaugh “two grandmasters” in chess. “If I was a Steelers fan, the thing concerning me watching this first half: You’re in the postseason. You’re getting dominated. I don’t see any fight. I don’t see any pushback. It’s one thing to lose X’s and O’s against a really talented offense. But where the hell is the fight?” Michaels even got in on the fun later on, deadpanning that Henry “only has 100 yards” during a discussion about the Ravens’ offense playing well despite missing injured wide receiver Zay Flowers. By halftime, the Ravens led 21-0 and had outgained the Steelers 308 yards to 59 (including 164 rushing yards). They picked up 19 first downs against just two for Pittsburgh, converted 7 of 8 third-down opportunities and had more than 20 minutes in time of possession. “This just did not look like Pittsburgh Steelers football,” Herbstreit said before halftime. “Just the fight, just the energy. We’ve seen it the last four weeks [on their losing streak]. The Steelers have to show up. They have to fight tonight.” During Prime’s halftime show, Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez agreed. “They looked uninspired,” he said. “That’s not the Pittsburgh Steeler team that we’re used to seeing — especially with Mike Tomlin and everything that’s riding on the line.” "They looked uninspired. That's not the Pittsburgh Steeler team that we're used to seeing — especially with Mike Tomlin and everything that's riding on the line." – Tony Gonzalez on the Steelers first half against the Ravens. pic.twitter.com/5vZ8xcARo3 — Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 12, 2025 When interviewed by sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung at halftime, Tomlin did not have many answers. “It’s Lamar, man,” he said when asked how he could potentially stop the Ravens’ rushing attack. “He’s making plays. We’ve just got to be more solid. As for making a comeback? “We’ve gotta take it one snap at a time. That’s all we can do.” Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article Quote
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