Mike Tomlin faces one of his greatest challenges as Steelers head coach with team limping to finish line

For years, there’s been a battle between local and national media regarding Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. National media tend to praise Tomlin while using his ongoing run of non-losing seasons as evidence of his greatness. Local media usually to point to Tomlin’s lack of postseason success (among other things) in their argument that Tomlin isn’t as good as the rest of the country thinks.

What’s the truth? It probably lies somewhere in the middle. Yes, Tomlin deserves enormous credit for his consistency (which is truly peerless) and ability to churn out competitive teams. He also has a Super Bowl win and another appearance in the big game, in case you forgot. 

It’s also fair to criticize him for not having more postseason success since Pittsburgh’s loss to Green Bay in Super Bowl XLV. Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016, which is the longest current drought of any AFC North team.

It’s fair to say that Tomlin has done better with “underdog” teams and not as well with teams with higher expectations. Look no further than last year, when the Steelers managed to

get to nine wins after a 2-6 start and with a rookie quarterback under center.

Which brings us to this season. This was a season were expectations were higher than in recent years. A big reason for that optimism was the expected rise in play from Kenny Pickettin his first full year as QB1. The Steelers didn’t hide from the expectations; GM Omar Khan openly talked about the excitement he had about this team during the first day of training camp.

Things probably haven’t turned out the way Khan, Tomlin and

president Art Rooney II had hoped. Instead of taking the leap into the AFC’s upper echelon, the Steelers are in familiar territory, at 7-5 and fighting tooth and nail for a (likely wild card) playoff spot. Even if they are able to qualify, many expect the Steelers to be a quick out while extending their streak of seasons without a playoff win.

Unlike recent years, there are no real excuses for the Steelers being in their current predicament. Sure, they’ve had some damming injuries, but find me an NFL team that hasn’t. In fact, depth — which could help