Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin is probably struggling to find ways to sound convincing after losses. It’s especially difficult when you stack losses on top of one another, as they have. Now losers of three in a row, the Steelers have relinquished control over the AFC North.
All season, they had the ability to determine the outcome of the division race simply by winning. But suddenly with just one game left, Tomlin needs help from Kevin Stefanski’s Browns. If Cleveland can beat the Ravens and the Steelers can beat the Bengals, they will still win the division. Yet both of those outcomes—not just either—feel increasingly unlikely.
Tomlin knows that the Steelers have a playoff game awaiting them no matter what happens in Week 18. He knows they have played at an extremely poor level of late, but at least in front of the cameras, he remains resolute in belief.
Asked why he is still confident the Steelers can right the ship, Mike Tomlin said after their loss to the Chiefs on Wednesday, “Because it’s what we do. It’s what I love to do. Even on days like today, I love the game. I love working with that group in there”.
That doesn’t mean he loves the media, and around this time last year, his love was at an all-time low. Yesterday, at least, Tomlin handled things as well as could be expected, but it’s all just verbiage. For many Steelers fans, his oratorios have struck a sour note in losses. Right now, it’s probably sounding like a cacophony.
What a miserable day to be a Steelers fan. They went on a surprising 10-3 run to start the season only to absolutely bottom out at the end of an abysmal three-game run and submit themselves to the mercy of the Browns. At this point, it almost feels worse to know that there’s still a playoff game to play.
Of course, Mike Tomlin and his Steelers can do something to change that feeling. A convincing win over the Bengals in Week 18—they are not mathematically eliminated, but could be by then—would help, but only so much. Put simply, the Steelers need to win in the playoffs. Especially because right now, they don’t look like they can.
What’s next? Well, the Steelers may want to watch the weekend’s games. Saturday losses by the Chargers and Broncos would give them breathing room to secure the top Wild Card Spot. But other than that, they simply have to wait until the next game and hope the Ravens can embarrass themselves. Tomlin will say all the right things, and we know from Hard Knocks that his words carry weight. But talk is cheap in the face of action—or in the Steelers’ case the past three weeks, inaction.
