While it didn’t include many good plays by the Steelers, the second half of Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills did include some jeers from Pittsburgh’s frustrated fan base.
After leading 7-3 at halftime, the Steelers were utterly dominated in the second half, being outscored 23-0 en route to a 26-7 beatdown. During that sequence, fans not only booed during the playing of “Renegade,” they chanted “Fire Tomlin!” loud enough for Mike Tomlin to be asked about it afterward.
“I share their frustration tonight,” Tomlin said. “We didn’t do enough. That’s just the reality of it.”
While he’s been incredibly successful in Pittsburgh, Tomlin’s recent track record is anything but.
Since starting 10-3 last season, the Steelers are just 6-11 in their last 17 games. The Steelers lost their final five games of the 2024 season that included their sixth straight loss in the playoffs.
Pittsburgh got off to a 4-1 start this season, but has since lost five of its last seven games. The Steelers had a chance to distance themselves from the AFC North field before Halloween. But instead of doing that, they find themselves trailing the 6-6 Ravens (via tiebreaker) in the division standings three days after Thanksgiving.
Sunday was apparently the tipping point for many Steelers fans. It was one of the worst losses of the Tomlin era and could possibly be his worst regular-season loss at home.
The Steelers were outmatched on both sides of the ball after taking a 7-0 lead midway through the second quarter. From that point on, they were outscored 26-0, out-gained 256-96, committed two turnovers, had a turnover on downs and allowed Buffalo’s offense and defense to score touchdowns. Pittsburgh couldn’t do anything on offense, and on defense, its 249 rushing yards allowed were the most at home by the Steelers since they started playing at Acrisure Stadium.
While they can regain first place in the AFC North with a win next weak in Baltimore, many Steelers fans have already resigned themselves to the fact that there’s a very good chance that the current team won’t be able to put an end to the franchise’s drought without a playoff win, which currently stands at eight years. If that happens, it would be the 15th time in Tomlin’s 19 years that the Steelers were unable to win a playoff game.
Poor quarterback decisions is one of the main reasons for the Steelers’ current playoff drought. Pittsburgh’s inability to find Ben Roethlisberger’s successor has largely contributed to some talented teams not getting as far as they could ultimately go. It’s a big reason why T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick never won a playoff game as teammates.
Tomlin is considered a future Hall of Famer, and for good reason. He’s never had a losing season as a head coach, has won a Super Bowl, gone to another and has presided over seven division championships. And while his teams have at times underachieved, he has done some of his best work with teams that many had left for dead at about this point in the season.
Given his stature in the game, his desire to continuing coaching, and the fact that he still has over two years remaining on his current contract, the odds of the Steelers and Tomlin parting ways after this season are slim to none. But while that may be true, it’s clear that Pittsburgh fans are quickly running out of patience.
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