History said the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to lose Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite the on-paper advantage, Mike Tomlin entered the game 2-9 for Thursday night road games and 0-6 versus the AFC North. Tally another loss in both columns.
But history, as the saying goes, is bound to repeat itself. If the same holds true as it did for Thursday night, the Steelers will bounce back with a big win next Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers.
In the Tomlin era, he’s 7-2 following a Thursday night road loss. A strong bounce back record. Here’s the history.
| Year | Outcome |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 44-38 Win (Bengals) |
| 2022 | 24-20 Loss (Jets) |
| 2021 | 19-13 Win (Titans) |
| 2019 | 16-10 Win (Bengals) |
| 2015 | 43-18 Win (Patriots) |
| 2014 | 37-19 Win (Panthers) |
| 2013 | 34-28 Loss (Dolphins) |
| 2012 | 24-17 Win (Bengals) |
| 2009 | 37-36 Win (Packers) |
Those two losses being Kenny Pickett’s debut, a game in which Pittsburgh blew a 20-10 fourth quarter lead to Zach Wilson. And Antonio Brown unable to stay inbounds in what would’ve been one of the wildest wins in recent history.
The overall track record is good. Of course, there could be an element of correlation and not causation knowing Pittsburgh’s won more than most teams during the Tomlin era. Additional rest during the mini-bey is also an obvious advantage. Still, using history as our guide the way we should’ve last week, it says the Steelers will beat the Packers.
As the bottom of the chart shows, it’s already happened once. Following a road Thursday loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 14, the Steelers beat Aaron Rodgers and the Packers the following game. A tremendous finish, QB Ben Roethlisberger finding a toe-tapping WR Mike Wallace on the game’s final play.
But like the Bengals’ loss, these outcomes aren’t dictated by history. Pittsburgh lost Thursday night simply because it did not play well enough. A defense that struggled in every regard. An offense that produced enough to warrant a win but turned it over twice. Beating Green Bay won’t be easy. They are NFC contenders for a reason. But if there’s any comfort to be had about the loss, the Steelers have bounced back from these moments before.
