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Pittsburgh Steelers: The five worst losses of the Mike Tomlin era

By Chris Halicke

PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 16: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on in the third quarter during the game against the New England Patriots at Heinz Field on December 16, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 16: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on in the third quarter during the game against the New England Patriots at Heinz Field on December 16, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
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ARLINGTON, TX – FEBRUARY 06: Brett Keisel #99 of the Pittsburgh Steelers walks off the field after losing to the Green Bay Packers during Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – FEBRUARY 06: Brett Keisel #99 of the Pittsburgh Steelers walks off the field after losing to the Green Bay Packers during Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

5. Super Bowl XLV: Packers 31, Steelers 25

This loss is hardly on Mike Tomlin. As a matter of fact, Tomlin coached a really good game here. So, the heartbreak factor of this one is why it made the list.

The biggest story of this game was turnovers. It’s what led to a 21-3 deficit in the first half with two Ben Roethlisberger interceptions, one of which was ran back for a touchdown.

The biggest blow was the final turnover of the game when Rashard Mendenhall fumbled in Green Bay territory on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Steelers had managed to come back and make it a 21-17 game, but Green Bay capitalized on the fumble, scoring a touchdown to make it an 11-point lead again.

From then on, it just became too big of a hill to climb even having the ball with under three minutes remaining and within a touchdown of either tying the game or taking the lead.

As stated before, Tomlin coached a good game and didn’t do anything to put his team in a bad position. The team just couldn’t overcome a minus-3 turnover margin. Few teams do in the Super Bowl.

Despite Tomlin having a good game, this one stings because of the heartbreak of losing a Super Bowl. Bill Cowher went through one in Super Bowl XXX against Dallas. Tomlin went through this one. It still stings eight years later.

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