rgh Steelers were in the mood to look for them.The false start that wasn't called on a play that ended with a Los Angeles Chargers touchdown . The apparent block in the back that helped spring Chargers punt returner Desmond King for the game-tying score.The weird floater by Ben Roethlisberger on a pass that slipped out of his hand and landed into the awaiting arms of Los Angeles rookie safety Derwin James.Yet the Steelers understand it's pointless and expensive to complain Jacob McQuaide Jersey , one of the reasons coach Mike Tomlin opted not to vent 鈥?publicly anyway 鈥?after his team let a 16-point lead slip away in a 33-30 loss to the Chargers on Sunday night that reduced Pittsburgh's once comfortable cushion in the AFC North to mere percentage points over second-place Baltimore heading into the final month of the season."I am going to keep my mouth shut," Tomlin said after his team dropped its second straight to fall to 7-4-1, just ahead of the Ravens at 7-5. "I am going to do that because I send enough money (in fines to NFL headquarters) in New York."Tomlin understands the calls the officials do or don't make are out of his hands. His team's ability to avoid losing with a 16-point advantage at home 鈥?something the Steelers had been able to do 174 out of the previous 175 times it happened in franchise history 鈥?is another matter entirely. One that is far more troubling than a handful of questionable decisions by referee Bill Vinovich's crew."We didn't establish rhythm in the beginning of the second half," Tomlin said. "We had a couple drives killed by penalties, holding penalties, it's catastrophic."Pittsburgh took the second-half kickoff and moved into Los Angeles territory only to see a 22-yard gain by James Conner wiped out when officials flagged left guard Ramon Foster for holding. The Steelers punted three plays later.Pittsburgh's second possession of the third quarter appeared to be picking up steam when left tackle Alejandro Villanueva was called for holding. The drive stalled and Jordan Berry punted yet again.King fielded it at the Chargers 27, slipped past a couple of tacklers 鈥?including Pittsburgh's Brian Allen, who may have been helped to the ground thanks to a shove on the back of his right shoulder by Los Angeles gunner Rayshawn Jenkins 鈥?and raced down the right sideline for a touchdown that helped tie the game at 23.The Chargers didn't need any assistance, however, in taking control in the fourth quarter. Philip Rivers led Los Angeles on scoring drives of 79 and 64 yards on the Chargers' final two drives, facing just two third downs in the process.The Steelers did not get called for a defensive penalty on either of the drives. Instead Dominique Easley Jersey , Los Angeles simply did whatever it wanted against a defense that couldn't seem to get in the right position."You can't say anything about our offense, our offense scored 30 points," defensive end Cam Heyward said. "As a defense, we're not getting the job done. I don't look for anybody else to say that the officials did this or anything else, we didn't get the job done as a defense."And now Pittsburgh faces a daunting stretch if it wants to lock up a fifth straight playoff berth. The Steelers visit hapless Oakland next Sunday, a meeting that looks like a mismatch. Yet the Raiders have always been trouble for Pittsburgh, particularly on the road.The Steelers haven't won in Oakland since 1995. They fell to the Raiders at the Coliseum in 2012 and 2013 to teams that finished 4-12 both seasons.In 2006 Pittsburgh headed west as the reigning Super Bowl champions and somehow lost to a squad that went 2-14.After that it's a visit by the New England Patriots then a visit to New Orleans two days before Christmas before wrapping up the regular season at Heinz Field against Cincinnati.A shot at earning one of the two seeds 鈥?a position the Steelers were in the mix for after a six-game winning streak had them at 7-2-1 鈥?appears gone. At this point, holding off the resurgent Ravens is no given."We can't seem to win it at home right now," Foster said. "So maybe we'll be great playoff road warriors."NOTES: WR Ryan Switzer is in the concussion protocol after taking an illegal hit from Los Angeles linebacker Jatavis Brown in the fourth quarter. ... RB James Conner is dealing with a left leg contusion. Year 3 for the wunderkind portends to be a major one." 2019 Los Angeles Rams Regular Season2019 Los Angeles Rams OffseasonPro Football Focus: Los Angeles Rams HC Sean McVay “needs to show evolution of his scheme”New,12commentsYear 3 for the wunderkind portends to be a major one.CDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Pro Football Focus: Los Angeles Rams HC Sean McVay “needs to show evolution of his scheme”TwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailLos Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay paces the field prior to Super Bowl LIII against the New England Patriots, Feb. 3 Troy Hill Jersey , 2019.Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesToday’s edition of Football Morning in America over at Pro Football Talk is an absolutely fascinating read. It’s also a reminder of how far football media has come in the last decade.You’ve got an established media member, Peter King, with a running blog on a major blog site, PFT, that he’s giving out to be guest-hosted by an advanced analytics site in PFF. This would have been unimaginable a decade ago.PFF founder Neil Hornsby even addressed this in the middle of the piece:We’re just operating in an entirely new era.And part of that era includes the offensive creativity of Los Angeles Rams Head Coach Sean McVay.McVay took the top spot on the Rams’ coaching staff in 2017 and immediately turned around the franchise. In doing so, he made the rest of his staff attractive options on the coaching hiring market.Greg Olson, the Rams’ quarterbacks coach in 2017, was picked up first to become the offensive coordinator for Oakland Raiders Head Coach Jon Gruden last season. Matt LaFleur, the Rams’ offensive coordinator two years ago, headed to the Tennessee Titans to become their OC albeit with greater responsibilities; that move led to his hiring by the Green Bay Packers to become their new head coach for 2019. And this offseason, we saw a third McVay underling climb to the top of the ladder as Zac Taylor Michael Brockers Jersey , who replaced Olson as the Rams’ QB coach last year, became the Cincinnati Bengals’ newest head coach.I mention that if only to point out that whatever secret sauce McVay has cooked up in his young career, he’s had other sous chefs working with him. They’re now branching out into their own kitchens. And while they’re going to be facing pressure of their own, it also puts pressure on McVay to continually refine his own outputs as the PFF crew points out in the “10 things I think I think” section:It’s hardly a hot taek, but it’s something we’re going to be reiterating throughout the offseason as we head toward Week 1. Whether it was the drama surrounding RB Todd Gurley or the absence of WR Cooper Kupp or intermittent offensive line play, we saw a vulnerability last year pique up. All three factors are at play this year with Gurley’s role likely reduced, injuries always playing a major factor for NFL teams and an offensive line introducing two extremely inexperienced starters with LT Andrew Whitworth living out his last hurrah. McVay, as all coaches generally must on an annual basis, has to adjust.Beyond that, there’s a near certainty that the Rams coaching staff yet again proves fertile for other teams next offseason.Pass Game Coordinator/QB Coach/Co-Offensive Coordinator Shane Waldron is on the precipice of following LaFleur either into a promotion at OC elsewhere or directly into a head coaching gig himself having been interviewed by the Cincinnati Bengals for the spot Taylor ultimately landed. It seems as if Assistant Offensive Coordinator Jedd Fisch, who was promoted into that role this offseason Ethan Westbrooks Jersey , is being groomed to become McVay’s #2 on the offensive coaching staff. That’s certainly going to make him an attractive target. Elsewhere, Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel has been so good that teams are going to have to start needling. And while Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips might well be on his last ride, Cornerbacks Coach Aubrey Pleasant is highly thought of both within the Rams’ staff but also across the league. Should Grandpa Wade continue to oversee things beyond 2019 (and that’s no certainty), Pleasant might become an option that teams look into on the defensive side. And don’t dismiss the ascendancy of Taylor. If he can post one year as an assistant wide receivers coach and then one year as the quarterbacks coach before landing a head coaching gig, don’t dismiss the hiring of Zac Robinson to be the Rams’ newest assistant quarterbacks coach. Robinson was the former quarterback at Oklahoma State. His previous employer? PFF.So give today’s FMIA a read. It’s a fascinating read that covers a ton of inside knowledge that the NFL has just recently begun to incorporate but also the kind of thinking that’s going to reshape the NFL in the coming years.And as their blurb on McVay underlines, it’s the kind of ahead-of-the-curve thinking that McVay himself will need to take advantage of to be anywhere near as successful as he has been in his first two years as head coach of the Rams if only because so much change is coming to his team on the field and on the sidelines.