Mike Tomlin doesn’t think he should be fired, contrary to the outpouring of emotions Sunday night at Acrisure Stadium when angry fans chanted for his dismissal late in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The Steelers lost a second consecutive game and for the fourth time this season after blowing a halftime lead. They were defeated for the fifth time in the past seven games. They had their record dip to 6-6, which would put them on the outside of the playoff picture in any division other than the AFC North where a .500 mark is good enough for first place.
Tomlin, though, understands why the vitriol is being vented. He has gone eight seasons without a playoff victory, and that streak could reach nine if the Steelers don’t reverse course over the final month of the season.
“In general, I agree with them and from this perspective,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. “Football is our game. We’re in the sports entertainment business. If you root for the Steelers, entertaining them is winning. When you’re not winning, it’s not entertaining. I respect it. I share their frustrations. I understand what makes this thing go. Winning is what makes this thing go.”
A franchise that has six Lombardi Trophies collected inside its offices at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex hasn’t won consistently enough in the past decade to satisfy its fan base. Even though Tomlin has never overseen a team with a losing record, that streak is in jeopardy this year. And fans don’t need to be reminded the franchise’s most recent Super Bowl victory came after the 2008 season, its most recent appearance was in February 2011 or that the Steelers are 0-5 in playoff games since a run to the conference championship game in 2016.
Tomlin even recognized his team has acquired an identity this season that he didn’t anticipate.
“Yeah, 6-6,” he said, “and I don’t like it.”
When the Steelers return to Acrisure Stadium on Dec. 15 against Miami, they will either be in sole possession of first place in the division or under .500 with four games remaining. That depends on what transpires Sunday afternoon in Baltimore in the first of two meetings against the 6-6 Ravens.
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Unlike the Steelers, the Ravens were surging under a five-game winning streak until they stumbled on Thanksgiving night in a 32-14 home loss to the 4-8 Cincinnati Bengals.
Given a chance Sunday to put some distance between themselves and the Ravens, the Steelers played their worst game of the season, giving up 249 yards rushing while totaling just 166 overall in a loss that saw them get stream-rolled in the second half and lose a 7-3 lead to the Bills.
Frustration was evident in the bowels of Acrisure Stadium, too, as captains such as T.J. Watt said the players needed to “look in the mirror” and be accountable for the poor play.
“I never want people to apologize for caring,” Tomlin said. “I view the frustration displayed last week that way. Guys were in a fight mode, they care, and the game wasn’t unfolding in the way we desired.”
After the game, Tomlin promised to assess the offensive and defensive schemes and the personnel being deployed to make required fixes. He said Tuesday, though, that any changes in responsibilities among his assistant coaches were not “anything that merits discussion.”
Getting the players to respond this week against a Ravens team that defeated them twice in Baltimore last season — once late in the regular season and once in the wild-card playoff round — will be Tomlin’s biggest challenge.
“How do you get that synergy, how do you get that confidence, how do you get the cohesion required to win?” he said. “You tighten up your plan, you delve into things you’ve spent more time in than things you haven’t. Make sure guys are in position to work in a coordinated fashion. It’s making very pointed decisions as you’re laying out the plan this week.”
A crux of the Steelers’ problems has been an inability to stop the run. The way the Bills gashed the Steelers defense was reminiscent of the way the Ravens dissected them last year, rushing for 220 yards in December and 299 in January.
“From a strategic standpoint, you better start at ground zero,” Tomlin said. “You better build, and that’s what we’re in the process of doing this day and this week in an effort to put out a better performance.”
Tomlin also reminded that the Steelers have done a few things right this season, which also is reflected in the team’s record. It’s why he has confidence in his team’s ability to rebound from two months of uneven play.
“Those same ingredients have produced six wins as well as six losses,” he said. “It’s about how we cook this week.”
