The playoffs have not been fun for the Pittsburgh Steelers in quite some time. They haven’t won a postseason game since 2016, and their latest attempt saw the same result. The Baltimore Ravens crushed the Steelers, looking like the superior team by far. Due to this failure, frustrations are rising regarding Mike Tomlin. As the team’s leader, much of the blame falls on him. Analyst Colin Cowherd believes there’s little reason to be optimistic about the Steelers.
“The Steelers had two first downs in the first half,” Cowherd said recently on his YouTube channel. “I mean, did they practice this week? How can you defend the Steelers anymore? Mike Tomlin, he’ll get a job somewhere else, but there’s just nothing here. There’s nothing to defend. Thank God they have stability in ownership, or they would be a bottom-tier team. It’s time to stop settling.”
After that performance, Cowherd isn’t wrong to question the Steelers. The Ravens quickly jumped out to a 21-point lead. It did look like the Steelers weren’t prepared for this matchup. They were sleepwalking until the second half, and even then, they didn’t put up much of a fight.
It is slightly funny that Cowherd praises the Steelers’ owners while also criticizing Tomlin. They’re the main reason he’s still the team’s head coach. The Rooney family is notoriously patient. That’s part of why the Steelers have only had three head coaches since 1969. Despite his lack of recent playoff success, Tomlin has strong job security because ownership believes in him.
Therefore, it might be fair to say that Tomlin is part of the reason the Steelers aren’t one of the worst teams in the league. Before this season began, many analysts believed Tomlin would suffer his first losing season as the Steelers’ head coach. Although they collapsed to end the year, they still exceeded those expectations.
That’s a credit to Tomlin. It doesn’t excuse his postseason failures, though. Tomlin can get a lot out of the Steelers, but the playoffs have been a hump he can’t get over. The Steelers haven’t just lost, either. They’ve gotten dominated since their last playoff win.
Barring a surprise move, Tomlin will likely be back with the Steelers next year. It remains to be seen if they make any other changes, though. They’ve been stuck in a cycle of mediocrity, and they need to do something to change that. Cowherd is correct that the Steelers should have higher standards. This kind of season shouldn’t leave many people happy.
