When Baltimore Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop lined up for a 44-yard game-winning field goal at Acrisure Stadium in Week 18, Pittsburgh Steelers fans could smell the end of an era for Mike Tomlin. The 19-year head coach has been the center of discussion, and it looked like he was about to play his final game as the Steelers' head coach. But when the kick was sliced wide right, Tomlin was fortunate to find his way into the tournament.
In the week leading up to the Steelers-Ravens do-or-die showdown for the AFC North title, ESPN insider Adam Schefter hinted that the losing head coach from this matchup could be out of a job... and that's exactly what happened. On Tuesday, the Ravens released a statement from owner Steve Bisciotti that Harbaugh had been relieved of his duties.
Harbaugh, an 18-year head coach of the Ravens and the second-longest tenured HC with one team next to Tomlin, is now out of work and looking for a job. With Harbaugh, the message got stale in Baltimore, and after reportedly being unwilling to fire Todd Monkin, the Ravens cut Harbaugh loose.
But Tomlin might have been inches away from receiving Harbaugh's fate.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could have parted with Mike Tomlin if Tyler Loop made the game-winning field goal in Week 18
As Loop lined up for the game-winning 44-yarder with two seconds on the clock, Tomlin's coaching career must have flashed before his eyes. With all of the smoke around Tomlin's job and future with the team leading up to the game, this felt like the first time the Steelers were truly set to part with their long-time head coach.
A make from Loop would have ended the Steelers' 2025 season short of a postseason run. It also would have marked the ninth-straight season without a playoff win—a streak that includes six straight losses in the postseason.
There's no denying that Tomlin's regular-season record is impressive. With the wild Week 18 victory over the Ravens, Tomlin quietly tied the great Chuck Noll with 193 career regular-season wins, giving him a record of 193-114-2.
However, when it comes to playoff results, he's still riding the coattails of the success he had early in his coaching career. In addition to the nearly nine-year winless playoff drought, Tomlin has led his team to just three playoff wins in the last 13 years. These came against quarterbacks A.J. McCarron, Matt Moore, and Alex Smith (not exactly the cream of the crop).
There's no guarantee that Mike Tomlin will play out his current contract with the Steelers and retain his job for the 2026 season. That could depend on how things go against the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round on Monday night. However, we have the right to wonder if Tomlin would be suffering John Harbaugh's fate right now had Tyler Loop made that last-second field goal in Week 18.