Six seasons have passed since the Pittsburgh Steelers last won a playoff game. Head coach Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season in the regular season, but with coaching turnover so prevalent in the NFL, can Tomlin survive another season without a postseason win?
Last season Tomlin and the entire team got a pass with the change at quarterback to rookie Kenny Pickett. Even then, the Steelers still nearly sneaked into the playoffs. That success raises the bar for what fans will expect out of this team this year.
But what happens if the Steelers’ winless playoff stretch extends to seven seasons? Twenty-four teams have switched head coaches since Pittsburgh’s last postseason victory, an 18-16 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2016 divisional round.
If Tomlin can’t get that elusive playoff win in 2023, will the team decide to go in another direction? Or maybe it will be Tomlin who decides it is time to step away and give another head coach a chance. The main problem with either scenario is the unknown. It’s impossible to say if the next coach will be better or worse. But a case can be made the Steelers took a flier on a huge unknown when they hired Tomlin in the first place.
Let us know in the comments if you think Tomlin must win a playoff game in 2023 to keep his job.
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