The Pittsburgh Steelers have always been motivated by success. Just look at their offseason transactions. Desperation fueled risk, and while the gamble wasn’t always pretty—or consistently effective—it produced progress. Enough progress, in fact, to secure an AFC North title and put Pittsburgh back on the playoff stage. Still, success in the NFL is never static. The desire to improve lingers in every general manager’s mind, especially when January football exposes what a roster truly is.
That’s what makes the timing of the latest noise around the Miami Dolphins feel like the ultimate taunt.
Right before the biggest game of the Steelers’ season, the Dolphins announced the firing of Head Coach Mike McDaniel. The conversation alone is enough to turn heads around the league.
Pittsburgh included.
McDaniel’s résumé—an average 35–33 record as Miami’s head coach—comes with undeniable offensive brilliance, but persistent questions about leadership and late-season execution continue to follow him.
Those questions matter because if McDaniel is no longer leading a franchise, his skill set becomes incredibly attractive elsewhere.
That possibility should sound tempting in Pittsburgh, where Arthur Smith’s offense never quite matched the ambition of the roster. Smith was brought in to modernize the Steelers' attack and unlock explosive potential. Instead, the results felt restrained.
This season, Pittsburgh ranked 25th in passing yards per attempt (6.6) and 25th in total yards per game (305). Winning happened—but rarely convincingly. Too often, the offense leaned on grit rather than creativity, survival instead of dominance.
That’s where the taunt comes in.
The Pittsburgh Steelers cannot lose focus on their upcoming Monday night Wild Card appearance
While the Steelers prepare for a win-or-go-home Wild Card matchup against Houston, the idea of a proven offensive mind potentially entering the market hovers in the background. It’s not a move Pittsburgh can make now, and that’s the frustration. Opportunity feels close enough to taste, but entirely out of reach until the season ends.
Firing Arthur Smith is always an option, but doing so now would feel impulsive—and potentially damaging. According to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Smith would not be permitted to interview for another position until three days after Pittsburgh’s Wild Card game. That’s not a long wait, but it’s long enough to become a distraction if the team allows outside noise to creep in.
And that’s the danger.
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The Steelers have fought all season to define themselves. They survived inconsistency, criticism, and doubt to earn this moment. Letting future hypotheticals interfere with present reality would be the most un-Steeler-like mistake they could make. Mike Tomlin’s teams have always thrived when their focus narrows, when speculation fades behind preparation.
Still, it’s hard to ignore the subtext. If Pittsburgh falls Monday night, the questions around Arthur Smith’s future will grow louder. Change would feel inevitable, not reactionary. And names like McDaniel—fair or not—will dominate the conversation.
For now, though, it’s just noise. Tempting noise. Provocative noise.
The ultimate taunt isn’t Miami’s situation itself—it’s the reminder that improvement is always possible, and sometimes painfully close. Pittsburgh knows better than anyone that championships aren’t won in January rumors or offseason fantasies. They’re won by handling business when it matters most.
Monday night will determine whether the Steelers are still chasing the future—or fighting for the present.