No head coach within the NFL has had extra job safety than Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. He has been cemented in place for twenty years and put collectively a borderline Corridor of Fame profession. He has been to 2 Tremendous Bowls, gained one and at all times has his workforce in competition for a playoff spot.
However these Tremendous Bowls appearances are 18 and 16 years in the past. They’ve probably not gotten shut since.
Simply being aggressive can not be sufficient. His job ought to be on the road of their Week 18 recreation in opposition to the Baltimore Ravens.
It ought to be on the road after his workforce missed an ideal alternative to clinch the AFC North on Sunday with a shocking — and, fairly frankly, embarrassing — 13-6 loss to a Cleveland Browns workforce that entered the day with three wins.
No severe group would convey the top coach again if Steelers blow this opportunity at division title
Now the Steelers discover themselves in a win-or-go-home Week 18 recreation in opposition to the Ravens the place the winner wins the AFC North and the loser goes house and misses the playoffs.
No person in Pittsburgh could be feeling optimistic about it.
Not with high extensive receiver DK Metcalf suspended and out for the sport. Not with an offense that seemed helpless with out him on Sunday. Not after the Ravens ran all around the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night time to maintain their season going.
Not with the best way the Steelers teaching employees didn’t appear to take this recreation critically. The whole lot about their offensive recreation plan and play-calling, to not point out the whole lot about the best way quarterback Aaron Rodgers performed, appeared to be extra about not permitting Myles Garrett to set the single-season sack file than really profitable the soccer recreation.
In the event that they lose subsequent weekend and miss the playoffs, it ought to be breaking level for the Steelers and Tomlin. There could be no getting back from that.
It isn’t that Tomlin has been a foul coach, or that he’s even not a great coach. It’s the easy actuality that issues usually are not altering. The whole lot is stale. There’s a excessive flooring, however a particularly low ceiling. This is a company that has not gained a playoff recreation since 2016. Together with that, the Steelers have had some staggering late-season collapses once they appeared to be in command of the division or the playoff race and fell brief.
That is setting as much as be one other.
They entered Week 17 with a two-game lead within the division with two video games to play. All they need to do is win a type of video games they usually get a house playoff recreation. They’d a three-win Browns workforce standing in entrance of them and a house recreation after that.
They already squandered the primary of these video games. In the event that they lose the second recreation and miss the playoffs, there could be no getting back from that for anyone on the Steelers teaching employees.
Not after so a few years with out playoff success. Not after so many late-season meltdowns.
In the event that they lose the Ravens recreation, and in the event that they stick to the established order, they’re telling you they’re content material to only be ok and flirt with nine-or 10-wins yearly and by no means be greater than that.
If they’re severe about profitable and contending for championships, they’ll flip the web page and notice that is not working for what the precise expectation ought to be.
If they’re severe, Mike Tomlin ought to be teaching for his job subsequent weekend.
