The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2025 NFL season with renewed expectations after a busy offseason. The additions of free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the blockbuster trade for wide receiver DK Metcalf put them in a good position to make noise in the AFC North.
After eight weeks, the Steelers (4-3) have gone from best to worst. The Cincinnati Bengals (33-31) and Green Bay Packers (35-25) defeated them in the last two weeks, showing that the Steelers aren’t as strong as they looked from Week 1 through Week 6.
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After losing five consecutive games to end the 2024 season, many wondered if Mike Tomlin’s time as the team’s head coach had come to an end. That question started to float around ahead of Week 9.
NFL analyst Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports feels like Pittsburgh could move on from its long-time coach if it struggles in the second half of the season.
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“The headline has been there before, but I think this time is gonna be real,” Schwab said. “Mike Tomlin has been a great coach for many many years and the Steelers don’t like to change coaches. But, if the Steelers’ second half rolls out the way I think it will–they’re gonna blow a 4-1 start to the season, lose the division to the Ravens, and then the Steelers’ ownership is gonna look around and say, ‘Our quarterback is not coming back next year, our defense is really old, it’s the most expensive defense in the NFL and isn’t very good at all. We don’t really have a lot of talent; this is a rebuild, and maybe we need somebody else to start this rebuild.”
Tomlin has never posted a losing record as the Steelers’ head coach, but the team’s performance in recent years has raised many eyebrows.
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Pittsburgh entered Week 14 of the 2024 season with a 10-3 record and never won another game. The season ended with a wild-card round loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the team that snatched the division title away down the stretch. Rodgers shared his confidence in the team’s chances to compete, but the Steelers don’t look solid.
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