The TOX, or the Toxic Differential, is the difference between the total number of explosive plays and turnovers produced by one team relative to their opponent. There is a strong correlation between a +2 TOX differential or better and victory.
The Pittsburgh Steelers fell well short of that mark against the Detroit Lions, embarrassingly so, including an 0-3 hole in the turnover department. Quarterback Mason Rudolph threw one bad interception on an off-target dump-off, but then his skill guys, Diontae Johnson and Pat Freiermuth, both fumbled in overtime. That’s no way to win a game, especially when playing with a backup under center, as Mike Tomlin exhorted on Tuesday.