The Pittsburgh Steelers’ season seemed to doomed to end in disappointment, again, after the team dropped three straight games from Weeks 13-15 to fall to 7-7. But after back-to-back wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks, the Steelers are 9-7 and right back in the thick of the playoff race with one game left to play. When asked by reporters during his media session today how the Steelers were able to turn things around, Watt credited his head coach.
“Mike Tomlin. I’ve said all along, my whole career here, never too high, never too low, always consistent. The team meetings are incredible. Everybody, I wish they had the chance to sit in those team meetings. I think it’s just him giving a great message to us and us running with it, and guys having true belief in this locker room and the guys in it,” Watt said via Steelers.com.
Down to their third-string quarterback in Mason Rudolph, the Steelers’ offense has suddenly come alive and put up 30 or more points in back-to-back games. A lot of teams wouldn’t come out swinging after losing three winnable games and playing a backup quarterback who hadn’t started a game since 2021, but the Steelers did, and that’s a credit to Tomlin for getting the Steelers ready to play.
Pittsburgh has also dealt with a bevy of injuries on defense, with the team losing linebackers Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander for the season and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for six games. Safety Damontae Kazee is also currently out with a suspension and has missed the last two games, but Watt said that’s not an excuse for the Steelers and that Tomlin has done a great job motivating the guys they do have.
“It doesn’t matter how depleted we are, we understand that’s happening all over the league, but if we want to win games, it’s gonna take the guys in this building and we’ve really taken and run with it,” Watt said. “And I think none of that’s possible without Mike T at the helm.”
Tomlin undoubtedly deserved criticism, and he received it in bunches, during the Steelers’ three-game losing streak. They played down to their competition and played themselves out of a playoff spot when they controlled their own destiny at that point. But for as much criticism as Tomlin received, he deserves acknowledgment for righting the ship and getting this team together.
Things could’ve easily fallen apart after the Week 15 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, where the Steelers squandered a 13-0 lead by allowing 30 unanswered points and getting completely bullied in Indianapolis. The week following that game was rife with controversy due to George Pickens’ non-effort blocking on a run for Jaylen Warren and weak answer when asked about it. Instead of benching Pickens, Tomlin rode with his receiver and the decision paid off. Pickens has 11 catches for 326 yards and two touchdowns in the two games since, and he’s talked about how the locker room is coming together, something he said has made things feel different over the last two weeks.
Tomlin has his flaws, and the Steelers shouldn’t have dropped three in a row, with two of those losses coming against 2-10 opponents. But it’s clear he’s beloved in Pittsburgh’s locker room and guys like playing for him. Now, he’s finally getting the most out of them, and it’s certainly helped that the Steelers are finally getting competent quarterback play for the first time all season, too.
The Steelers still need help to get in the playoffs, but a win over the Baltimore Ravens puts them at 10-7, which is just about where many thought they should finish ahead of the season. Ultimately, a 10-7 finish that ends without a playoff appearance or a first-round playoff loss won’t be deemed a success, and the fact the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016 is an indictment of Tomlin. But this season could change that, and if the Steelers rise from the ashes to make some noise in the playoffs, Tomlin will deserve as much credit as he got criticism earlier this season.
