If you have been a Pittsburgh Steelers fan for any amount of time, this is an all too familiar scenario. Just when the fire Tomlin cause gains momentum, he pulls a huge win out of nowhere. Tomlin just survived his second two game losing streak of the season on Sunday. His win over the rival Ravens will largely quiet any calls for his job as the season winds down. The victory puts the Steelers in the drivers seat to win the AFC North, and would give them a home playoff game in the first round. It’s as if the fire Mike Tomlin cause never existed.
This is what Mike Tomlin does. His real talent is never losing a locker room. Two or three times a year he can will his teams to improbable victories. The problem is this is not sustainable. Inevitable let downs always follow the lathered up emotional performances. Team’s simply can not play on that impassioned level week in, and week out. Hence the near .500 Steelers year after year. Motivation, without strategy or cohesive planning, is not a recipe for continued success.
We know how this story ends. The Steelers will almost certainly make the playoffs now. Their schedule is much more favorable than the Ravens’ heading into the last four games of the season. A drubbing in the first round of the playoffs is how the next chapter of the story unfolds however. Followed by the “you can’t fire a coach who’s never had a losing season” mantra. Completely ignoring what Steelers fans know all too well. Things like Pittsburgh has lost by an average of 15 points in their last four playoff games. Or like Mike Tomlin’s post season defenses giving up an average of 33 points per game in the last six playoff contests.
Mike Tomlin is the ultimate magician. His uncanny knack for being just good enough to survive is like no other. The question now becomes when is enough for his run in Pittsburgh? How many more embarrassing playoff losses, uneven regular seasons, and disappointing outcomes should Steelers fans endure? After the win on Sunday, the answer truly is there is no end in sight. It should not change what we think of Mike Tomlin’s failings, but it almost certainly will in Art Rooneys eyes.
There is one thing. One monkey wrench in the Mike Tomlin hamster wheel. The 2026 NFL draft is in Pittsburgh. It is a showcase that Art Rooney is very much invested in. The last thing in the world Rooney wants is thousands of rabid Steelers fans screaming “fire Tomlin” at his big event. Could this be the impetus for a move at head coach? Do both Tomlin and Rooney decide to move on to avoid such an embarrassment for the organization? It is a possibility. Particularly if this team stumbles down the stretch, or gets blown out in the playoffs as they are known to do. The victory over Baltimore was a blow to the fire Tomlin cause, but all is not lost. There is still hope this dinosaur of a franchise is forced to make move they should have made years ago.
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