Mike Tomlin heard the boos raining down from Acrisure Stadium on Sunday and didn't flinch. The NFL's longest-tenured head coach agreed with the crowd.

After watching his Pittsburgh Steelers get steamrolled by Buffalo and suffer their fifth loss in seven games, Tomlin faced the brutal reality head-on Tuesday.

"In general, I agree with them, from this perspective: Football is our game, we're in a sport entertainment business. And so if you root for the Steelers, entertaining them is winning. And so when you're not winning, it's not entertaining."

The angst inside the stadium boiled over in the fourth quarter when fans booed the opening notes of "Renegade"—the late-game anthem designed to ignite the defense. It didn't work. Buffalo dominated with 249 rushing yards and controlled the ball for nearly 42 minutes.

Losing Composure, Losing Games

The frustration spilled onto the field in costly ways. Defensive captain Cam Heyward drew a taunting flag after Josh Allen's third-quarter touchdown pass put the Bills up 16-7. Heyward claimed Allen had intentionally kneed him in the groin earlier in the game.

Backup defensive lineman Esezi Otomewo later drew an unnecessary roughness penalty that helped seal Buffalo's victory.

Tomlin took direct responsibility for the undisciplined play.

"I own the responsibility of making sure that these guys understand a component of being a tough team to beat is not beating ourselves. We had some penalties and certainly you're gonna have penalties when you play. But penalties of the 15-yard variety, loss of composure and things of that nature hadn't been us. And so that needs to be corrected immediately."

A Season in Free Fall

Pittsburgh's collapse has been staggering. Three of the Steelers' past five losses came by at least 10 points—all to playoff contenders. The team that started 4-1 now sits at 6-6 after being 6-11 in its last 17 games dating back to last season's collapse.

When asked about his team's identity, Tomlin didn't mince words.

"Yeah, 6-6, and I don't like it."

Last season, the Steelers squandered a 10-3 start and got pounded in the playoffs by Baltimore. The same problem that plagued them then—an inability to stop the run—persists now.

The Run Defense Crisis

Pittsburgh ranks a mediocre 17th against the run this season. The team drafted defensive linemen Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black, and signed Daniel Ekuale to bolster the line alongside Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton, and Dean Lowry. The strategy has collapsed:

• Lowry suffered an injury in training camp
• Ekuale was lost for the season in October against Green Bay
• Harmon has missed games twice with knee problems

"You can't run out of bigs. If you run out of bigs in AFC North ball, you're running on the beach, certainly."

The Ravens await—the same team that gashed Pittsburgh for 299 yards on the ground just 11 months ago. Tomlin remains publicly confident, but the evidence suggests the Steelers are running on empty.

Injury Update

Harmon will miss a second consecutive game. Aaron Rodgers, who turned 42 on Tuesday, is dealing with a broken left wrist but is expected to start. He may be limited in practice this week.