The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t want to drop two straight divisional games as they hit the home stretch of their 2024 season. History says they won’t. Under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have enjoyed plenty of success following a “mini-bye,” having a full weekend off after playing a Thursday night game.
The past might not predict the future, but can offer a clue. Just as Tomlin’s ugly track record of road Thursday games rang true in last week’s 24-19 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, he’s strong on the other side of a short week. Since becoming the Steelers’ head coach in 2007, Tomlin is 14-6 on the mini-bye.
He lost his first such chance in 2007. After beating the St. Louis Rams on a Thursday in Week 16, the Steelers fell to the Baltimore Ravens 10 days later in the regular season finale. From there, Tomlin went on an impressive streak. He won five out of his next six such games, with at least one victory from 2008 through 2012.
After losing in 2013, he went on another tear. From 2014 to 2019, his Steelers were a spotless 7-0. Recent years have been spottier, with Tomlin just 2-3 since 2021. That included going 1-1 last year, beating the Green Bay Packers in Week 10 before falling to the New England Patriots in Week 14 as part of the team’s ugly three-game skid.
Mike Tomlin’s record is just as sharp when he’s coming off a defeat on Thursday. He’s 7-3 in the following game when losing on Thursday night. It’s a similar arc to his overall record. He had less success in recent years but has strong numbers for his tenure.
Pittsburgh will look to refocus after a tough loss to the then 2-8 Cleveland Browns. The mini-bye offers a chance for additional scouting and review, something Tomlin said he and the coaching staff did with their extra time. They vowed to streamline their decision-making process and examined their red zone struggles, 30th in the NFL heading into Week 13.
Their advantage could be muted by the Cincinnati Bengals, not just because of their potent offense but also because of the extra time they’ve had to prepare. The Bengals had a Week 12 bye, allowing them to rest and conduct advanced and self-scouting with the last week off. Sitting at 4-7, Cincinnati is in a must-win situation to keep their faint playoff dreams alive.
