Colin Cowherd Detailed Exactly How Steelers' Mike Tomlin Is Ruining His NFL Legacy
The Pittsburgh Steelers have not had a losing season in 21 straight seasons. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season in his 18 years at the helm. Now, in his 19th season, the Steelers sit at 6-5 and have once again lost their grip on the AFC North. This first happened in the 2024 season, and it is happening again in 2025. Tomlin and his team are unraveling after an exciting start, leaving fans and analysts questioning whether the Steelers can regain momentum and stabilize their season.
Popular sports media personality Colin Cowherd went on his show, The Herd on Fox Sports, on Wednesday to discuss the state of the Steelers. Cowherd did not hold back, expressing frustration with the team’s performance and Tomlin’s coaching. He argued that while the non-losing streak is impressive on paper, it has become largely irrelevant in evaluating the team’s current situation. According to Cowherd, a record without losing seasons does not automatically mean the Steelers are competitive for a Super Bowl or even consistently dominating their division.
Cowherd detailed exactly why the non-losing record is increasingly futile. He pointed to questionable personnel decisions, offensive inconsistency, and a lack of adjustments in critical games as evidence that Tomlin’s reputation for consistency may no longer be enough to mask the team’s struggles.
"So Mike Tomlin and the Steelers have not had a losing season in 21 seasons," Cowherd said while speaking on his show on Wednesday. "...But there is a story this morning about the hot seat heating up. Well he hasn't won a playoff game in 8 years. He would be fired if he were the Eagles coach, or the Cowboys coach, the New England coach, San Francisco coach, the Green Bay coach. In Green Bay, you gotta win playoff games. He would be fired if he were the Ravens coach."
While Tomlin’s past success is undeniable, Cowherd argued that legacy alone cannot sustain a team that is failing to capitalize on opportunities, and that the Steelers’ current slide raises serious questions about the future trajectory of both the coach and the franchise.
No other head coach would have survived such a long playoff drought, but the Steelers are the exception to firing coaches in professional sports. In most leagues, and even in the NFL, head coaches have a very short leash. Tomlin seems to have not only a long leash but one that may never lead to his firing. That is at least how many Steelers fans view it, and it is why they get so upset with his continued struggles.
Steelers Fans Feel Like Mike Tomlin's Message Has Grown Stale
Tomlin is a great leader, says the right things for the most part, and is confident he can fix the team. However, he has had more time than almost any head coach in America and still has yet to fully solve the Steelers’ ongoing issues. That combination of longevity and unresolved problems is what makes his situation so unusual and a frequent topic of debate among fans and analysts alike.
This is why Cowherd believes the Steelers’ best path forward might be to bottom out and rebuild. Cowherd suggested that Pittsburgh should target quarterback prospect Dante Moore from Oregon in the 2026 NFL Draft as a potential cornerstone for the franchise.
Aaron Rodgers Sends Strong Message to Steelers: ‘Focus and Execute for the Playoffs’
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a massive game this weekend, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers is hoping to see them play “the right way.”
Rodgers issued a strong statement toward his team ahead of their huge home game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
Pittsburgh (6-5) has dropped four of its past six games after it started 4-1 and has fallen into a first-place tie with the rival Baltimore Ravens (6-5). The Ravens have the tiebreaker by virtue of their 2-0 divisional record — the Steelers‘ record against AFC North opponents is 2-1.
But the Steelers can claim the tiebreaker against the Bills (7-4), who are a game ahead of the Steelers and currently occupy the final AFC wild-card spot with six games to play.
Aaron Rodgers Wants To See The Steelers ‘Tighten Up’ Against The Bills
The Steelers have shown flashes of greatness over the past six weeks. Their defense scored twice in their 34-12 beatdown of the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks ago, and they held Daniel Jones, Jonathan Taylor and the NFL’s No. 1 offense, the Indianapolis Colts, in check in their upset, seven-point win Nov. 2.
But Rodgers wants to see the Steelers get consistent this weekend, especially on offense.
“We need to start playing the right way this time of year,” Rodgers said. “We’ve got to be on the details. There’s too many times where we haven’t been able to survive downs, is the best way to put it, where there’s a missed assignment or a mental error and we’re not able to survive the down.
“We’ve got to do a better job of [surviving downs].”
Rodgers did not play in Pittsburgh’s 31-28 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, which dropped it out of first place. His status for the Bills game is very much up in the air as of Wednesday, though Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has exhibited confidence the veteran will play Sunday.
Aaron Rodgers Thinks ‘It’s All Right In Front Of’ The Steelers
The Steelers have just a plus-11 point differential through 11 games, and have struggled on both offense and defense at points this season. Still, they are very much alive in the race for the playoff race with about 30 percent of the season to go.
Rodgers alluded to the Steelers’ tough closing slate, which includes the Bills, two games against the Ravens and a road game against the Detroit Lions.
“We’ve got good opponents on the schedule in the last six [games]. We have three division games,” Rodgers said. “It’s all right in front of us.”
Pittsburgh also needs to avoid getting caught up in a potential trap game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 17 — the Steelers lost in Cleveland last year — between its Week 16 game vs Detroit and season-ending home date against Baltimore.
The Browns are 2-2 at home — they’ll take on the San Francisco 49ers this weekend — but have played four one-possession games at Huntington Bank Field, including a one-point loss to the Bengals and a three-point win over the Green Bay Packers.
You can bet Cleveland, and especially NFL sacks leader and Defensive Player of the Year favorite Myles Garrett will be chomping at the bit to knock Pittsburgh out of playoff contention if given the chance.
