For years, Mike Tomlin has been one of the best coaches in the NFL. He’s been a consistent winner, never having a losing season. However, that might not be good enough anymore. While Tomlin’s Steelers haven’t hit rock bottom, they’ve been brutal in the postseason recently. They haven’t won a playoff game since 2016, a fact that’s starting to frustrate many fans. Former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe believes Tomlin’s playoff issues should be talked about as much as his streak of non-losing seasons.
“I’m just trying to figure out, what is 10-7 going to get you?” Sharpe asked recently on his podcast, Nightcap. “What is 9-8 going to get you? ‘Oh, Steelers, Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season.’ He didn’t win a playoff game in nine years. Make sure you put that in the bio too. Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season. He also hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016.”
Things have been ugly for Tomlin and the Steelers in the playoffs over the past few years. Not only have they failed to win a postseason game, but they’ve struggled to even be competitive. Too many times, the Steelers have snuck into the playoffs and gotten destroyed.
This most recent game against the Baltimore Ravens is a great example. The Steelers lost 28-14, which doesn’t seem that bad, but it never felt like they had a chance to win that game. The Ravens dominated them on the ground, enforcing their will on the Steelers. Their offense struggled to do anything positive too. Considering the Steelers beat the Ravens once in 2024, it was a disappointing effort.
Sharpe is right that the Steelers have hovered around 10-7 for the past few seasons. The last time they had more than nine or 10 wins was the 2020 season. That year, they went 12-4 and won their division but still lost in the first round of the playoffs, getting rocked by the Cleveland Browns. Now, they can’t even win the AFC North.
Whether they want to admit it or not, the Steelers are stuck. They’ve been in the same cycle for the past few years, despite making several changes. Tomlin has been one of the few constants, so maybe he does deserve more blame for their failures.
Perhaps having a losing season would fix their issues. It could put them in a better position to draft their next franchise quarterback. That’s easier said than done, though. There’s no guarantee that whoever they draft will be able to save their franchise. That process is much harder than just losing games to get a better draft pick. There are a lot more factors involved that might not make that worth the trouble it brings.
Sharpe is correct that never having a losing season shouldn’t make Tomlin bulletproof. In 2025, if the Steelers go one-and-done in the playoffs again, his seat should probably start to warm up. The AFC is too strong to expect the Steelers to fluke their way into the Super Bowl after going 10-7. That’s an issue Tomlin needs to fix.
