Steelers' Mike Tomlin Found Unexpected Vindication For His Game Plan With The Recent NFL Postseason Wins

Many believe Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has lost his touch. After losing in the playoffs again, more fans than ever are calling for the organization to part ways with the Super Bowl-winning coach. Tomlin has proven to be a consistent winner during the regular season. However, his teams have collapsed in the postseason. Despite being 18 seasons long, the "no-losing season" narrative has run thin with fans who measure success by Lombardi Trophies.

Despite telling fans that he finds the losses as unacceptable as they do, very little seems to change. The fans want Tomlin to relinquish his rumored control over the play-calling on both sides of the ball and allow his coordinators to handle those decisions. They want the offense to align more with what other successful offenses are doing: creating a strong passing game. Tomlin maintains the belief that defense can still win championships when combined with a strong run game, and the most recent postseason games will serve to vindicate Tomlin. 

Mark Kaboly from The Pat McAfee Show joined the 93.7 The Fan Morning Show and was asked his takeaways from round two of the playoffs. He said those games, where the Buffalo Bills defeated the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Commanders beat the Detroit Lions, the Kansas City Chiefs won over the Houston Texans, and the Los Angeles Rams fell to the Philadelphia Eagles, will only serve to bolster Tomlin's stance. While those teams all have average to above-average quarterbacks, they won with what the Steelers try to do: defense, turnovers, and pounding the rock. 

"I don't think it helped the Steelers whatsoever," explained Kaboly. "Well, let me rephrase that: I don't think that helped Mike Tomlin whatsoever change his mind. 'Cause yesterday was won by running and defense. All I've been told over the past year or two is that we have to win with offense. Well, yesterday the quarterbacks were above average, nothing great, but those games were won by defense and running the ball. If Coach T is looking, he says, 'See, it still works.' I don't think that did the Steelers any good. Even look at Saturday's games too; it's not like there were a ton of numbers put up. It was defense, turnovers, and running the ball."

Kaboly said those games solidified how far the Steelers are from the teams finding success in this year's postseason. He said they are "miles apart," and the evidence was there when they lost three games in 10 days to some of the best teams in the league. Heading into the 2024 season, everyone had their eyes on those games against the Ravens, Chiefs, and Eagles and knew it was a tall order. 

With the most recent loss to the Ravens, Tomlin has lost six consecutive playoff games, tied with the Miami Dolphins for the longest current postseason losing streak. He started his time in the Steel City with a 5-2 playoff record, taking the team to two Super Bowls, winning one. His current playoff record is 8-11. Their last playoff win came over the Chiefs at the end of the 2016 season. This is the longest they have gone without postseason wins since the NFL merger in 1970.

Steelers' Mike Tomlin Not Going Anywhere

Since the season ended, many fans have been hoping that the Steelers would trade Tomlin to another team for some top draft picks. Adam Schefter recently reported that more than one team, including the Chicago Bears, had expressed interest in Tomlin. 

He said the team quickly shut down any negotiations, citing his no-trade clause. This should not surprise anyone since Tomlin told the media those teams should save their time. While he understands fans' frustrations and feels them too, he will stay in Pittsburgh as long as they will have him. That could be until at least 2027, based on his current contract.  

Do you think the recent playoff games helped to solidify Tomlin's plan on how to win games? Tell us what you think below!

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