Doubts about head coach Mike Tomlin’s leadership have risen big time as the season progressed. While the Pittsburgh Steelers inch closer to making NFL history with the most consecutive winning seasons, critics are like, ‘What’s the point?’ To a Steelers legend, the team has drifted from its true identity. With Tomlin leading the charge, the standard has slipped away as the team consistently fails to achieve the primary goal. 

“Right now, dude, our goal, I feel like, has been switched over to not having a losing season, and the standard of what it was for championships has been lowered,” former linebacker James Harrison said on the Deebo & Joe podcast, which he co-hosts with Joe Haden. “That’s not the Steelers that we were built on or the organization, period.”

Further, the former Steelers icon also reminded that Tomlin walked into a strong culture when he became head coach in 2007. If we go by statistics, Tomlin’s tenure with the Steelers has been impressive. As Harrison mentioned, the Steelers have never had a losing season in 18 years with Tomlin as head coach. After their Week 14 win over the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers sit atop the AFC North with a 7-6 record.

Now, they are just two wins away from a winning season and could set an NFL record with 22 straight years finishing .500 or better, according to Pro Football Talk. However, the bigger picture tells a different and disappointing story. The six-time Super Bowl champion hasn’t won the division title since 2020 and has yet to win a postseason game since January 2017. That year, they lost 13-3 to the Jacksonville Jaguars and maintained the losing trend ever since.

The worst and the main part? Since stepping in as coach, Tomlin has delivered just one Super Bowl title way back in 2008. This proves Harrison’s point that Tomlin has lowered the Steelers’ standard, which is all about winning championships. Can the coach silence his doubters this year?

Super Bowl odds tell a different story for Mike Tomlin’s Steelers

The Steelers’ Super Bowl hopes have faded as the ongoing season progressed. The franchise now has over 7000 odds to win the trophy, rising significantly from around 4000 odds before the season began, according to Fox Sports. Now, Mike Tomlin’s team has just a 1.4% chance to lift the Lombardi Trophy. On the field, the stats paint a dicey picture. The Steelers are 6-7 against the spread this year.

This shows how unpredictable they’ve been week to week. In 13 games, the total score has gone over the projected line seven times. Out of seven games where the team found itself as an underdog, it secured three wins. However, the inconsistency still lingered. While the entire team hasn’t played up to the usual standard, some individual performances have kept the Steelers in the tournament.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has thrown for 2,370 yards with 20 touchdowns, while running back Jaylen Warren has emerged as a valuable receiver with 652 rushing yards and four scores. Currently, the Steelers still hold a 66% chance to enter the postseason heading into Week 15, per the NFL. That number could rise to 74% with a win against the Miami Dolphins or fall to 56% with a loss.

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Mike Tomlin’s Steelers must win their remaining four games to turn around their season, which is hanging in the balance.