"It's a no-brainer": Greg Olsen blasts Mike Tomlin's bizzare late game decision as Steelers defeat Vikings 24-21

The Pittsburgh Steelers played the Minnesota Vikings in the first ever NFL game played in Ireland early Sunday morning. The Steelers would win the game 24-21, but a bizarre decision made by the Steelers late in the game may overshadow the win.

With under 90 seconds left to play, the Steelers had a fourth down attempt with one yard needed. If they make it, they would be able to ice the game, holding onto possession until the time runs out. However, instead of trying to easily make the one yard, the Steelers decided to punt on this attempt.

This decision confused many people, including former NFL players, turned broadcaster Greg Olson, who was providing the commentary for this game. He said the following during the broadcast:

"It's a no-brainer! You get half a yard and the Minnesota Vikings never possess the ball ever again!"

Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!

In this moment, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin took a winnable game and added unwanted jeopardy for the Steelers.

The punt gave possession to the Vikings, and they had enough time to bring the ball down the field to potentially score a winning touchdown.

With the lead only being three points, the Vikings could have been able to get the ball into field goal range and make the field goal to tie the game, eventually sending it to overtime.

Luckily for the Steelers, the Vikings were unable to do anything on their final possession, allowing Pittsburgh to win the game. However, this was a situation that they should have never been in.

Mike Tomlin on his team's bye week

After the game, Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media about the win and the upcoming bye week the Steelers have.

"Good to get a win. Good to go into the bye in the position we’re in. We’re leaking in some areas, so it’s probably at an appropriate time but to be honest with you, I’ve never had a bye that didn’t seem like it didn’t come at the appropriate time.”

The Steelers have not had the easiest start to the season but will go into their bye week with a 3-1 record. They will return in two weeks with a game against the Cleveland Browns, a tewm that is heading to London next week to face the Cleveland Browns.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and the NFL at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

Know More

Vikings Nation! Check out the latest Minnesota Vikings Schedule and dive into the Vikings Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Ben Tredinnick