No head coach within the NFL has had extra job safety than Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. He has been cemented in place for 20 years and put collectively a borderline Corridor of Fame profession. He has been to 2 Tremendous Bowls, received one and at all times has his workforce in rivalry for a playoff spot.
However these Tremendous Bowls appearances are 18 and 16 years in the past. They’ve not likely gotten shut since.
Simply being aggressive can now not be sufficient. His job ought to be on the road of their Week 18 sport in opposition to the Baltimore Ravens.
It ought to be on the road after his workforce missed an ideal alternative to clinch the AFC North on Sunday with a surprising — and, fairly frankly, embarrassing — 13-6 loss to a Cleveland Browns workforce that entered the day with three wins.
No critical group would carry the top coach again if Steelers blow this opportunity at division title
Now the Steelers discover themselves in a win-or-go-home Week 18 sport in opposition to the Ravens the place the winner wins the AFC North and the loser goes house and misses the playoffs.
No person in Pittsburgh could be feeling optimistic about it.
Not with prime vast receiver DK Metcalf suspended and out for the sport. Not with an offense that regarded helpless with out him on Sunday. Not after the Ravens ran all around the Green Bay Packers on Saturday evening to maintain their season going.
Not with the best way the Steelers teaching workers didn’t appear to take this sport critically. Every little thing about their offensive sport plan and play-calling, to not point out all the things about the best way quarterback Aaron Rodgers performed, gave the impression to be extra about not permitting Myles Garrett to set the single-season sack file than really successful the soccer sport.
In the event that they lose subsequent weekend and miss the playoffs, it ought to be breaking level for the Steelers and Tomlin. There could be no getting back from that.
It’s not that Tomlin has been a nasty coach, or that he’s even now not a very good coach. It’s the easy actuality that issues are usually not altering. Every little thing is stale. There’s a excessive ground, however a particularly low ceiling. This is a corporation that has not received a playoff sport since 2016. Together with that, the Steelers have had some staggering late-season collapses once they gave the impression to be accountable for the division or the playoff race and fell brief.
That is setting as much as be one other.
They entered Week 17 with a two-game lead within the division with two video games to play. All they should do is win a type of video games they usually get a house playoff sport. They’d a three-win Browns workforce standing in entrance of them and a house sport after that.
They already squandered the primary of these video games. In the event that they lose the second sport and miss the playoffs, there could be no getting back from that for anyone on the Steelers teaching workers.
Not after so a few years with out playoff success. Not after so many late-season meltdowns.
In the event that they lose the Ravens sport, and in the event that they keep on with the established order, they’re telling you they’re content material to simply be adequate and flirt with nine-or 10-wins yearly and by no means be greater than that.
If they’re critical about successful and contending for championships, they are going to flip the web page and notice that is now not working for what the precise expectation ought to be.
If they’re critical, Mike Tomlin ought to be teaching for his job subsequent weekend.
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