The Steelers will be down one of their coordinators on Sunday against the Ravens.
Defensive coordinator Keith Butler was not able to clear COVID protocols and won’t be allowed to call the plays. The duties will be assumed by head coach Mike Tomlin and senior defensive assistant/secondary coach Teryl Austin.
#Steelers Defensive Coordinator Keith Butler will not be coaching tomorrow against the #Ravens due to COVID-19 protocols. His duties will be handled by Head Coach Mike Tomlin & Senior Defensive Asst/Secondary Coach Teryl Austin.
— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) January 8, 2022
Butler was placed in protocol earlier this week after testing positive. The team was hoping he’d be able to test negative a couple of times before the game in order to be good to go, but that didn’t come to fruition.
Tomlin and Austin will be tasked with slowing a Ravens offense down that’ll be led by Tyler Huntley. Huntley struggled in his last start against the Rams and only threw for 197 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
Tomlin was once the Vikings defensive coordinator during the 2006 season so he does have experience calling plays. He was also the defensive back coach for the Buccaneers from 2001-05 before his time in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers will need a three-leg parlay in order to make the playoffs. They need to beat the Ravens, have the Jaguars beat the Colts, and have the Chargers-Raiders game not end in a tie.
Kickoff in Baltimore will be at 1 p.m. ET.
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