The great poet Dylan Thomas once wrote, "Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light." Rare is the non-sequitur that begins a sentence or statement, but how good is Interstellar? I know that so many critics scoff at the ending, but what a hopeful fantasy. Beyond the incredible effects, cinematography, score, performances — what a beautiful capture of the human spirit, the absolute unbreakable will to fight against inevitable odds. Father Time and physics are undefeated, but we'll be damned if we don't go down without a fight. Ah, there you are, Mike Tomlin.
In just under two decades as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tomlin's career has been defined by one number: .500. His 18-year run of non-losing seasons is the third-longest all-time, just behind Bill Belichick (19) and Tom Landry (21). But he has also not been much better than that magic number since the 2000s, at least for the most part. Not coincidentally, the Steelers have surprisingly failed to win a conference final since 2010, and haven't won a playoff game in nearly a decade. Interestingly enough, Tomlin's .500 reputation has finally been revealed to what it has been for the past few years at least: a trap in the NFL's No Man's Land.
Mike Tomlin's Steelers tenure is coming to a slow end
However, just when we started to lose faith in Tomlin's ability to continue his streak, he is poised to do just that. In what was his most important game of the 2025 season, the Steelers stepped up to break the deadlock between them and Baltimore for the AFC North's top seed in Week 14, dealing what could be a knockout blow to a reeling (underachieving) Ravens team.
It wasn't just Aaron Rodgers that saved some of his best for when the lights were their brightest. DK Metcalf put up his best performance yet in a Pittsburgh uniform as well (season-high seven receptions on 12 targets for 148 receiving yards).
And so, despite an underperforming and overpaid defense and what has likely been an entire season looking longingly at how George Pickens has bloomed in Dallas, the Steelers are probably on pace to finish a couple of games above .500 yet again.
But this time feels different. Maybe it is the aforementioned defense and the weird aura around Pittsburgh's post-Big Ben quarterback search. Maybe it's the fact that it took a near season-long injury to Joe Burrow and a worst-case scenario for Baltimore for this Steelers team to even take their one-game division lead.
Regardless, while Week 14 probably spared Tomlin from an in-season firing, it still feels like a last gasp for the longest tenured coach in the NFL.
Pittsburgh regained control of the division, without question. And one of the defining characteristics of Tomlin's teams over his above-.500 streak has been their ability to punch back when they touch their backs to the mat. At the same time, though, the feeling that Tomlin and the Steelers aren't any closer to another Super Bowl than they have been of late hasn't gone anywhere. A win might buy Mike Tomlin some more time — but only but so much.