The Pittsburgh Steelers lost in the first round of the AFC playoffs for the fifth time in a row. They fell behind 21-0 against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, managed to narrow the game to 24-17 with 10 minutes to go, but could not engineer one more stop to give Mason Rudolph a chance to tie the game. The 2023 season is over, and the Mike Tomlin era might be ending with it.
Benjamin B. Braun / Post-Gazette
With a sprained MCL, Steelers' TJ Watt missed the AFC Wild Card Game against the Buffalo Bills.
The Steelers, in the last four playoff game losses, have spotted the New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, and the Kansas City Chiefs huge leads that led to embarrassing losses. This game was not that. Pittsburgh was without TJ Watt for this matchup. The Steelers, despite a valiant effort in Orchard Park, have now only won once in 12 tries without Watt. Tomlin was asked about the NFL sack leader's absence in this game. It was one of the few questions he chose to answer.
“You know, I didn’t think about it to be quite honest with you,” Tomlin replied. “We knew all week he wasn’t playing, so we prepared with that mindset. I didn’t waste any time thinking about what wasn’t at our disposal. We had too much at our disposal and too many decisions to waste time like that.”
This answer is everything that Steelers fans fell in love with years ago and why so many fans have turned on Tomlin this season. The glib press conferences with no excuses for losing have become infuriating for fans. The Steelers' head coach has had a growing number of detractors over the last decade, but it reached a crescendo in 2023. Tomlin has had some of the best and worst moments of his coaching career in 2023. He is maddeningly inconsistent and things have to change.
Tomlin has endured a lot of criticism as a defensive coach over the years. Dick LeBeau rightfully receives most of the credit for the best defenses during his tenure. However, this season, when the Steelers lost multiple defensive starters in the middle of the defense, he found a way to keep the wheels from coming completely off the wagon. It wasn’t always pretty, but the Steelers' defense was pulling people out of retirement or off practice squads in the last half of the season.
Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger dismisses the notion that Mike Tomlin will not return in 2024.
Ben Roethlisberger livestreamed during the game with the latest episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger. Fans in the live chat were berating Tomlin for another playoff loss. Still, Roethlisberger was dismissive of any talk about the Steelers firing his former head coach after this season.
“Could it be Tomlin's last game,” Roethlisberger observed during the podcast, "I don't think so. He won’t be asked to leave."
Pittsburgh could have folded when Rudolph threw an interception in the red zone, trailing 14-0. They could have given up when they allowed Josh Allen to rumble through the defense for a long rushing touchdown. It took a blocked field goal to change momentum, but there is much to be said for Tomlin keeping his team focused enough to take advantage of opportunities to get back in the game. Pittsburgh did not quit on the game, and they fought until the bitter end.
John Paul Filo / CBS
Steelers' playoff broadcast team Jim Nantz and Tony Romo.
The CBS Sports play-by-play analyst Jim Nantz was also skeptical of the speculation surrounding Tomlin leaving Pittsburgh. Nantz has spent a lot of time with Tomlin in preparation for many big games during his tenure. Late in the game, when it became apparent the Bills would prevail, Nantz shared his contradictory impression of whether Tomlin would return to coach the Steelers in 2024.
“I got the impression talking to him, he’s not going anywhere.”
Pittsburgh has leverage in this situation. Tomlin is entering the final year of his current contract in 2024, but the Steelers desperately need new blood on the coaching staff. The reality is that the Steelers will have to extend or dismiss Tomlin for any real change to occur in the coaching staff. Unless Tomlin rebels against Art Rooney II and Omar Khan and flatly refuses to make changes on offense, it is not likely that he will not be invited back.
AP Photo
Steelers Team President Art Rooney II (left) and Head Coach Mike Tomlin (right) oversee practice during the 2021 minicamp in Pittsburgh.
Will Steelers' Mike Tomlin's Power Be Stripped Significantly After 2023 Season?
If this is indeed the end, Tomlin’s decision to retain Matt Canada was the catalyst for his downfall. The Steelers' abysmal offense, paired with his refusal to part with his embattled offensive coordinator, crippled Kenny Pickett’s development. Pickett piled poor play onto a terrible scheme. When the second-year signal-caller went down with an injury against the Arizona Cardinals, Tomlin chose Mitch Trubisky to save the season. Three games later, he chose again when he tapped Rudolph to be the starter, and the third time was the charm.
Tomlin should not get credit for finding the best quarterback on the roster in 2023 on the third try. He should get credit for taking a defense decimated by injury and finding a way to win three games in a row to avoid the AFC North cellar and secure a Wild Card berth. It has been a 17-year roller coaster ride with Tomlin, but the only way it ends in 2024 is if he decides to get off.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Was this Tomlin's swan song or a meaningful step in a rebuilding process he is committed to finishing? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
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