Steelers Now
If the Pittsburgh Steelers make the postseason this year, they’ll be become the first team with three straight playoff appearances with a different primary starting quarterback each season since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1999-2001.
Tampa Bay’s three starters during that span were Trent Dilfer (1999), Shaun King (2000) and Brad Johnson (2001). The Bucs won one playoff game during that span. In 2002, Tampa Bay won the Super Bowl. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was on the Bucs staff as a defensive backs coach from 2001-2005.
Mason Rudolph led the Steelers to a playoff berth in 2023, falling to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round. Kenny Pickett suffered an ankle injury in Week 13 and failed to regain his starting spot due to Rudolph’s stellar play. The Steelers limped into the playoffs with Russell Wilson last year, losing their final four regular season games and the Wild Card round game to the Baltimore Ravens.
Will the Steelers break their eight-year playoff win drought with Aaron Rodgers under center? The Steelers are on the cusp of winning the AFC North. All they have to do is beat the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. They can also clinch the division if the Baltimore Ravens lose to the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. The Steelers meet the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18. Pending on this weekend’s results, that game could decide the division.
The #Steelers can become the first team with 3 straight playoff appearances with a different primary starting QB each season since the #Buccaneers from 1999-2001
— Matt Williamson (@WilliamsonNFL) December 24, 2025
With the Steelers improving to 9-6 after a win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Tomlin clinched his 19th consecutive non-losing season.
It’s also the Steelers’ 22nd consecutive non-losing season, which is an NFL record. The Steelers surpassed Tom Landry’s Dallas Cowboys (1965-1985) for the record. Tomlin holds the NFL record for the most consecutive non-losing seasons to start a coaching career.
With Sunday’s win, Tomlin also become the 11th NFL coach to reach 200 career wins, including the postseason. At age 53, he is the third youngest coach to reach the milestone. Only Hall of Famers Don Shula at 51 and Curly Lambeau at 48 reached 200 wins at a younger age.
No matter what, Tomlin always has his team in the mix. Making three straight playoff appearances with a different primary starting quarterback would be another remarkable feat.
The Steelers have won three straight games after the embarrassing 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium in Week 13. Things were so bad that”Fire Tomlin” chants erupted from the crowed during the game. The fans also booed “Renegade.”
Tomlin has done a good job to get the season back on track. However, success in the playoffs and winning a Super Bowl is the ultimate goal.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers on Cusp of Accomplishing Extremely Rare Feat
