Steelers' Mike Tomlin agrees with Brett Keisel about team's readiness against Chargers

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel said Sunday that his team was not prepared for its 34-24 loss to the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.

His coach, Mike Tomlin, said Tuesday that he agrees with Keisel, writes Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Tomlin did not disagree, but did so from the vantage point of his team having lost the game, not necessarily from anything he saw leading up to it.

"I don't mind a guy speaking the truth as he sees it under any circumstances," Tomlin said of Keisel's remarks. "I'm a result-oriented guy and the result of that performance would lead you to believe that that's a possibility. So, I don't run away from that. The proof is in the pudding. I felt good about our preparation and our overall game-readiness but our play didn't display that. I agree with him. We'll go back to the lab and work in an effort to put it on tape this week."

The Steelers were sent to school Sunday by the Chargers, who improved to 5-8 with the win. San Diego held a 27-10 lead after the third quarter thanks to a pair of Philip Rivers touchdown passes.

Ben Roethlisberger returned to the field for the Steelers, but his presence wasn't enough. Roethlisberger completed 22-of-42 passes for 285 yards. He threw three touchdowns and one interception. He also fumbled the ball, which led to a Quentin Jammer recovery and touchdown.

The Steelers are 7-6 with a spot in the playoffs on the line. Pittsburgh will finish its regular season with games against the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.