Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers have not won a playoff game in eight years, and to say the least, the fanbase is restless. Mike Tomlin and the front office have received a lot of heat from Steelers Nation and the media, and that’s not going to change unless the playoff woes come to a halt.
The Steelers have lost six straight playoff games and have been out-scored by a total of 96 points and out-gained by 641 yards in those six losses. In the first quarter alone, they have been out-scored 73-0 in those six games.
For this lone reason, Pro Football Focus believes Tomlin is among the 10 NFL head coaches on the hot seat in 2025.
“Tomlin remains among the NFL’s most contested coaches. Some feel he’s one of the league’s very best in his ability to finish with a winning record despite poor rosters, while the other side of the spectrum stresses his consistent failures late in the season,” Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus wrote.
“The Steelers have amassed a 38-29-1 record over the past four years but haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season, which is a staggering amount of time considering the talent they’ve had in that span and how many opportunities the organization has had to change that. Since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, Pittsburgh has mostly been handicapped by subpar quarterback play, cycling through motley options — even in 2025.”
The Steelers have been in quarterback purgatory since future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retired in January of 2022. This season will mark the fifth straight year that the Steelers start a new quarterback in Week 1. In addition, the the majority of the Steelers’ cap space will be spent on the defensive side of the ball in 2025. And that unit certainly didn’t live up to expectation last season, especially when they got trampled for 299 yards on the ground in the Wild Card playoff loss to Baltimore.
In a quarterback-driven league, many have argued that the Steelers and Tomlin have not invested enough on offense.
“Another complicating factor is a high-paid defense that underwhelmed in 2024, sitting 18th in EPA per play and 30th in success rate from Week 10 onward. Tomlin’s poor timeout management, questionable late-down decision making, challenge indiscretions and roster building all warrant criticism,” Locker wrote.
“If the Steelers end north of .500 yet again, it feels implausible that owner Art Rooney would actually make a change from his 19-year head coach. But how long can a storied franchise that prides itself on achievements be content with doing nothing in January as others in the AFC keep lapping them?
“If Tomlin and Pittsburgh fail to win a playoff contest yet again, Steelers fans’ complaints will only grow louder, prompting discussion about whether it’s time to move on from one of the league’s most well-respected leaders.”
Tomlin is currently under contract with the Steelers through the 2027 season. It seems very unlikely that Tomlin would be fired if the...
