Change is inevitable, and we are fools not to recognize it. Sometimes, it brings growth. Other times, it reveals decline. In football, where every week tests a team’s discipline and identity, change can be both a blessing and a curse. Right now, the Pittsburgh Steelers are learning that lesson the hard way.
After two consecutive losses — both winnable, both disappointing — it’s becoming painfully clear that Mike Tomlin may be losing touch with his team. For a coach long celebrated for his ability to motivate, adapt, and inspire, these last two weeks have been alarming.
Let’s start with the obvious: losing to the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers in back-to-back weeks is not the end of the world. This is the NFL, after all. Every Sunday brings tough competition. But how Pittsburgh lost those games is what has fans questioning whether Tomlin’s voice still carries the same weight it once did.
The 35-25 defeat to the Packers, in particular, was hard to watch. The Steelers looked flat, unfocused, and unprepared — three adjectives rarely associated with a Mike Tomlin team. Coming off a humiliating divisional loss, this was supposed to be the bounce-back game. Instead, it felt like a continuation of the same bad habits: blown coverages, missed tackles, lack of communication, and worst of all, lack of effort.
What makes it sting even more is the investment made in this defense.
General manager Omar Khan poured an enormous amount of capital into making this unit one of the most formidable in football. On paper, it should be. But on the field, it’s been the opposite. The defense — the very foundation of Steelers football — has become a liability.
Mike Tomlin should be considered a hot seat candidate if the Pittsburgh Steelers do not tighten up
Sunday night against Green Bay was a prime example. Jordan Love and tight end Tucker Kraft connected seven times for 143 yards and two touchdowns, slicing through the Steelers’ secondary with ease. Kraft isn’t yet a Pro Bowler or a household name. He simply took advantage of a defense that looked unmotivated and undisciplined.
Love finished the evening averaging more than ten yards per attempt, throwing three touchdown passes in a performance that made Pittsburgh look like a team without direction.
And that’s the real issue. These Steelers don’t look like a team under Tomlin’s command. The discipline, the heart, the grit — all trademarks of the Tomlin era — seem to have vanished.
It’s difficult to say this as someone who respects Mike Tomlin deeply.
He’s one of the most accomplished coaches in the league and has been a steadying force in Pittsburgh for nearly two decades. Finding someone to replace him would be a monumental challenge. But even the greatest leaders must evolve, and right now, Tomlin’s message doesn’t seem to be reaching his locker room.
This version of the Steelers isn’t the one fans grew up watching. The great Pittsburgh teams of the past took advantage of opportunity, capitalized on their opponents’ mistakes, and played with undeniable passion. That edge is gone.
Tomlin’s Steelers still have time to turn things around, but only if the head coach reconnects with his players — and quickly. Because if this slide continues, Pittsburgh won’t just be losing games. They’ll be losing their identity.