The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most storied franchises in all of sports. The Steelers currently have the fourth-most wins in NFL history with 681. In those 681 victories, the Steelers have won six Super Bowls, which is tied for first with the New England Patriots. Pittsburgh captured its sixth Super Bowl win almost two decades ago, and the pressure to win number seven is constantly increasing. At this point, the pressure of winning a playoff game is intensifying, let alone a Super Bowl. The Steelers have not won a playoff game since the 2016 NFL season.
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The Steelers' six Lombardi Trophies are showcased at Acrisure Stadium inside the Hall of Honor.
Heading into the 2025 NFL season, one person in the organization faces the most pressure, Head Coach Mike Tomlin. Since taking over as head coach in 2007, Tomlin has been one of the more successful head coaches. He has never had a losing record in the regular season in his tenure in Pittsburgh. He has helped lead the Steelers to three AFC Championship games and won two of them. However, the Steelers have not played in a conference championship game since the 2016 NFL season, which they lost to the Patriots. That loss initiated a six-game losing streak for Tomlin in the playoffs to date.
Tomlin has one of the best coaching records in NFL history, but he has not had the same success in the playoffs. He currently has an 8-11 record in postseason games. So, with the pressure to win and bring Steeler Nation back to the Promised Land, Tomlin has a lot on his hands. The Steelers are still without a starting quarterback, as they wait for the decision of Aaron Rodgers. Whether the Steelers are starting the NFL season with Rodgers or someone else, like Mason Rudolph, Keyshawn Johnson, co-host of Speak on FS1, believes Tomlin is playing with fire.
"All the blame is going to go on Mike [Tomlin]; he ain't going to get none of the credit," Johnson said. "If Aaron Rodgers decides to do something different, they are stuck with Mason Rudolph. If Aaron Rodgers decides that he's going to play for the Steelers and it doesn't go nearly as well as we think it should go, they're going to say Mike Tomlin shouldn't have brought him in... If he wins... it's because of Aaron Rodgers because Mike Tomlin hasn't won since [Ben] Roethlisberger. He's in a lose-lose situation."
Johnson may be right. No matter the decision, Tomlin may be in a lose-lose situation. Typically, when an organization loses its franchise quarterback, it faces a drastic setback. However, the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger did not have this full effect on the Steelers. Roethlisberger has been retired for three NFL seasons now, and the Steelers finished with winning records in each of those seasons. In two of those seasons, the Steelers made the playoffs, so the team has not suffered in that way from losing their franchise quarterback -- which is why Tomlin is in a lose-lose situation.
During the period when an organization was supposed to be in rebuild mode, the Steelers were still winning games, which is expected from this organization. For the Steelers not to have a massive drop-off in team success after the retirement of Roethlisberger speaks to the culture of the organization. Win at all costs, but when you continue to win with mediocre quarterback play, it creates an expectation. So, even though the Steelers have had winning seasons, they have not won a playoff game since Roethlisberger. If Rodgers decides to play for the Steelers and has a successful season, he will likely be credited and not Tomlin, because Tomlin has not been able to win in the postseason since Roethlisberger.
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Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (right) shakes the hand of then-Green Bay Packers signal-caller Aaron Rodgers (left) on the playing surface at then Heinz-Field in Pittsburgh, PA.
Steelers' Tomlin And Rodgers Could Benefit From Each Other
Both Tomlin and Rodgers have won a Super Bowl each. Neither Tomlin nor Rodgers have made a conference championship game since the 2016 NFL season. Rodgers, the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers at the time, lost in the NFC Championship game to the Atlanta Falcons, while Tomlin and the Steelers lost to the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. Tomlin and Rodgers also share their last Super Bowl appearance, Super Bowl XLV. The Steelers faced off against the Packers, which the Packers ended up being victorious.
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Aaron Rodgers stands with Mike Tomlin before a game while he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.
If Rodgers decides to finish his career with Tomlin as his head coach, the two men will share the pressures of bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to the Steel City. Whether it is Tomlin or Rodgers who receives the credit, a second Super Bowl win for both will add to their respective legacies.
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