Mike Tomlin has high praise for Pittsburgh Steelers fans

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 32-13 on Sunday night, posting a 4-2 season record. More importantly, the Steelers are 3-1 on the road this year, thanks in part to the Steelers fans who fill opposing stadiums with an overwhelming amount of black and gold and Terrible Towels.

“I think the first thing that needs to be said is that I'm really surprised by the support we've gotten from our fans here,” head coach Mike Tomlin said after the win. “Steeler Nation pops up all the time. I thought it was great. It was special to be a part of it.”

Fans showing up and Tomlin acknowledging their impact is nothing new. The Steelers opened their season with a win in Atlanta – a game that Tomlin credited Steelers fans with inflicting several false start penalties on the home team. Steelers star edge rusher TJ Watt, who had a monster game against the Raiders, also praised Steelers Nation in Atlanta.

“Steeler Nation is amazing, man,” Watt said after the game. “It’s incredibly demoralizing for an offense to be silently counting on their home field. Honestly, a lot of these plays go to them. The fumble that I was able to land because they had to keep a silent count at home.” . Whenever that happens, when you have a lot of motion and movement, snapshots can go anywhere.”

The Steelers thrive on big defensive plays – plays that are easier when the opposing offense has trouble getting the ball in their stadium. If blocked field goals/punts are considered takeaways, the Steelers have recorded four takeaways in each of the last two games, a sign that the Steelers can win the ball regardless of the venue.

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