In the NFL, consistency is king, but in the Pittsburgh Steelers, championships are the only currency that matters. As Mike Tomlin secured his 19th straight winning season, a former star running back stepped in to address the unending debate over his future. For those who wanted Tomlin to be fired, Steelers legend Le’Veon Bell has some news for you.

“For everyone who wants Mike Tomlin fired, I don’t mean to spoil it for you but he’ll be back next year,” the former running back wrote on X.

This is a Pro Football Hall of Fame-caliber resume at this point for the head coach. Pittsburgh improved to 9-6, which officially locks in another .500-or-better season. That makes 19 in a row since Mike Tomlin took over in 2007. The Steelers haven’t finished below .500 once during his tenure. Not even close. The floor has been 8-8. Zoom out further, and the streak gets even more impressive.

The franchise’s run of non-losing seasons now stretches to 22 years, going back to 2003. Tomlin’s personal streak ties him with Bill Belichick for the second-longest run of consecutive non-losing seasons by an NFL head coach. Belichick’s run lasted from 2001 through 2019. Only one coach has done it longer.

Tom Landry went 21 straight seasons without a losing record from 1965 to 1985. Tomlin’s career record now stands at 200-124-2, including the playoffs. He’s the 11th head coach in league history to reach 200 wins. At 53 years old, he’s also the third-youngest coach to ever hit that mark, trailing only Curly Lambeau and Don Shula.

And yet, the calls for change never seem to fully disappear. That’s the strange part. For a coach who gets questioned as often as Tomlin does, consistency like this isn’t something you brush aside.

After a night like this, it’s fair to ask the question out loud. Given everything he’s done and everything he keeps doing, would it really make sense to let him go?

Mike Tomlin needs to deliver in the playoffs

Most of the noise around Mike Tomlin has never really been about Sundays in October or November. It’s about January. Pittsburgh hasn’t moved forward in the postseason since the 2016 Divisional Round. That’s the longest playoff win drought the franchise has had in the Super Bowl era, and it currently ranks as the ninth-longest active streak in the league.

With two games left, the Steelers still sit in a good spot. According to The Athletic’s playoff simulator, they have a 77 percent chance to get in. Barring something unexpected, they’ll be back in the postseason. And once again, the way people talk about Mike Tomlin will come down to what happens there.

That’s the reality in Pittsburgh. Regular-season consistency matters, but it only takes you so far. The Steelers haven’t won a Super Bowl in 16 years. That’s a long time by their standards. Not winning a playoff game since 2016 feels even heavier.

This is also a franchise that doesn’t churn through coaches. The Steelers have had three head coaches since 1969. That kind of stability is part of who they are, which is why the idea of firing Tomlin still sounds strange when you say it out loud. But there’s only so much that the fans and the front office can put up with.

He made a statement by winning the Detroit Lions game, but the real test would be the playoffs. The Steelers need to deliver this year.