Steelers' 38-3 loss to Bills marks most lopsided defeat in Mike Tomlin era, worst since 1989

Joe Rutter
Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022 5:40 p.m. | Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022 5:40 p.m.

Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review

Bills receiver Stefon Diggs takes off down the sideline past the Steelers’ Minkah Fitzpatrick in the fourth quarter Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022 at Highmark Stadium.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Mike Tomlin has lost more important games. A Super Bowl and an AFC championship game spring to mind.

He just hasn’t lost one by such a lopsided margin in his 16 years as Pittsburgh Steelers coach.

Tomlin presided over a 38-3 defeat to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Highmark Stadium that was the worst by the franchise in 33 years. Not since the Steelers were shut out 51-0 by the Cleveland Browns in the 1989 season opener has the franchise suffered a defeat by a larger deficit.

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Not even Tomlin’s predecessor, Bill Cowher, had a 35-point loss in his 15 seasons as Steelers coach.

“No need to sugarcoat it,” Tomlin said Sunday after the Steelers dropped to 1-4 with their fourth consecutive loss. “We got handled. We got handled by a very good football team.”

Mike Tomlin “no need to b sugarcoat this” pic.twitter.com/k1juAe3sJk

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) October 9, 2022

The Steelers were held to three points for the first time since the 2019 season opener when New England beat them 33-3. The 552 yards allowed by the defense was the most against the Steelers since 2013 when the Patriots put up 610 yards in 55-31 defeat.

The Steelers lost by 31 points last season to Cincinnati, 41-10, and to Philadelphia, 34-3, in 2016. Those served as the largest margin of victories against a Tomlin-coached team until Sunday, when Josh Allen threw four touchdown passes in the first half to stake the Bills to a 31-3 lead.

Worst margins of defeat for Steelers over the past 33 seasons:

31 points, 11/28/21 at CIN
31 points, 9/25/16 at PHIL
30 points, 9/8/19 at NE

Notice how the worst 4 (assuming something changing today) all have come over the past 7 seasons, 3 of the worst 4 over the past 4 years

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) October 9, 2022

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Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.