Entering his 18th season as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers with a new three-year extension in his back pocket, Mike Tomlin aims to get his new-look team back over the hump in the AFC playoffs.
Though he last won a playoff game in 2016, Tomlin remains one of the very best coaches in the NFL, period.
Pro Football Focus still holds him in high regard, too, ranking him fifth in the top 10 returning NFL head coaches Wednesday morning.
Tomlin landed behind only Kansas City’s Andy Reid, San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan, Baltimore’s John Harbaugh and Los Angeles’ Sean McVay.
“The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game in T.J. Watt’s career, which isn’t great considering that he’s heading into his eighth season in the NFL in 2024. That being said, if you look at what Tomlin has had at the quarterback position over the past five seasons, even getting to the playoffs is a huge accomplishment,” PFF’s Gordon McGuinness writes. “The Steelers didn’t have a quarterback earn a PFF passing grade above 70.0 in 2023. Kenny Pickett was the best of the bunch at 68.8.
“With Russell Wilson and Justin Fields arriving this offseason, there’s a big opportunity for the Steelers to finally make an impact in the playoffs once again.”
It’s well-known the struggles Tomlin and the Steelers have had getting over the hump in the playoffs, going one-and-done in five consecutive trips. It’s been a real issue.
But it’s fair to point out that at least in recent years Tomlin has not had the quarterback play to get the team over the hump. Ben Roethlisberger in his final season wasn’t going to go into Kansas City and upset the Chiefs in 2021, and last season Mason Rudolph — despite valiant efforts — wasn’t going to be able to match Josh Allen in Buffalo and lead an upset.
Now though, the Steelers are upgraded at quarterback with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields in the fold, giving Pittsburgh some solid talent to try and compete and win at the position.
Of course, it’s worth noting that Tomlin is culpable in those lack-of-QB conversations. He advocated for Kenny Pickett in the 2022 NFL Draft, was on board with the signing of Mitch Trubisky in free agency and took forever to realize Rudolph was the best of the bunch and offered the Steelers the best shot at winning in 2023.
He is not without blame.
But it’s a QB-driven league, and the Steelers simply haven’t had the QB to compete at the highest level. They believe they do now, so it will be quite interesting to see how Wilson and Fields fare in 2024, and if they can help get Tomlin and the Steelers over the hump in the AFC playoffs.
