The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season under Head Coach Mike Tomlin. Despite the fact that Tomlin has incredibly never had a losing season in his 18 years at the helm, he knows the pressure is on him to get this team back to winning meaningful playoff games. The drought has weighed heavily on fans, who are eager for postseason success after nearly a decade without it.
Tomlin hasn’t had much playoff success in almost 10 years, yet he typically receives praise from the national media for his steady leadership and consistent regular-season performance. This disconnect frustrates many Steelers fans, who feel Tomlin has underachieved in big moments. Still, they have no choice but to keep backing him as long as he remains the head coach of their favorite team, hoping the next season will be different.
With a series of aggressive moves made during the 2025 offseason, the pressure is now squarely on Tomlin to lead the Steelers on a deep playoff run. Recently, Tomlin joined former player Ryan Clark on The Pivot podcast, where he was asked how he responds to fans who bring up the playoff drought. His answer reflected both the burden and motivation he feels to return Pittsburgh to its winning ways in the postseason.
"I say nothing [laughs], you know," Tomlin told Ryan Clark about his response to those who doubt him because of his lack of playoff success. "We got resumes, we all do, and we gotta stand on that. I live a life where I don’t seek comfort. I don’t make excuses. Engaging in that discussion to me is excuses. I do not live that life, man. I pour everything I got into what I do, man, and when the dust settles, it settles, and I keep it moving."
It’s a perfect response from Tomlin, but it probably won’t inspire much faith among Steelers fans. No one is arguing that Tomlin isn’t a tremendous leader, everyone knows he is. The question is whether his voice has run stale in Steel City, and some of the fan base believe it has.
Others still support Tomlin, though. The results of the 2025 season will be a major attempt to shift the narrative one way or the other. However, Tomlin doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him; he’s just happy to be the one grinding.
"You know I don’t care a whole lot about what people have to say," Tomlin said. "I don’t, like respectfully, I don’t. Some people talk, some people watch, some people do. I am glad I am a doer. I am glad I live in that world. I love the kitchen. I love competition. I love it when it’s hot. I love the challenges that our business presents. Like that is just the life I choose to live and the things that come with it, man. I am ok with it."
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The Steelers brought in 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The decision to do that has reportedly been Tomlin’s. Many Steelers fans plan to hold him accountable for the results of the season, as they should, but Tomlin doesn’t view it that way. It’s Super Bowl or bust for him because that’s always been his approach.
He prides himself on controlling what he can control and ignoring the rest. That’s what he views the outside noise as, just noise. He knows the only thing that matters is winning in Pittsburgh, and he’s focused on trying to do just that. Though the time is now, and it’s running thin. Tomlin can say the correct things but he knows his team needs to execute in the critical moments to end this drought.
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