Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — During the fourth quarter of their team’s 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Pittsburgh Steelers fans let their frustrations be heard — and directed them at longtime head coach Mike Tomlin.
Having regularly credited Tomlin as being a large reason why he wanted to spend a year in the Steel City, Aaron Rodgers didn’t stand on the table during his post-game press conference and criticize the Steelers’ faithful for grouping up and calling for the coach’s job.
“They pay money for a ticket, so they have the right — good, bad or indifferent — to say what they want,” Rodgers said afterward. “I totally understand the frustration. I’ve been booed on offense even at Green Bay over the years. That was a boo-worthy performance, and I understand the frustration.”
Veteran stalwart Cam Heyward also gave fans the leeway to express their gripes.
#Steelers veteran Cam Heyward on hearing “Fire Tomlin” chants from the Acrisure Stadium crowd: pic.twitter.com/5ZEG3pGZu5
— Brendan Howe (@bybrendanhowe) December 1, 2025
“The crowd can do what they want,” Heyward said. “We have a job to do, and we didn’t do it well enough.”
As to whether it sends a message to the players is unrelated, he believes.
“That has nothing to do with the point,” Heyward said. “Our job is to execute, keep points off the board. Put points on the board as an offense, and we did neither today.”
A few of his defensive teammates, T.J. Watt and Payton Wilson, spoke of their own execution, but receiver Calvin Austin III felt the fans were warranted to voice their grievances.
“We ain’t meeting the standard,” Austin said. “This team has a standard that, when it takes the field, fans are expecting to see a certain thing. It’s our duty to provide that. It’s just (as) simple as that. As fans, they come here to cheer us on, support us, but we’re not giving them nothing to cheer about.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Players React to Fans Calling for Mike Tomlin’s Firing
