By the skin of their teeth, Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers continued their bye-week win streak with a 28-27 victory over the Washington Commanders.
Russell Wilson highlighted the come-from-behind win with a 32-yard touchdown to new receiver Mike Williams, followed by drawing the Commanders offside to seal the deal.
Tomlin, in addition to boosting his record against rookie quarterbacks, has led the Steelers to a 7-2 record for the first time since 2017. That season, the Steelers finished 13-3 and earned the 2nd seed in the AFC–putting Tomlin in talks of Coach of the Year if not for Sean McVay’s rookie coaching season. After the week 10 win, ESPN Analyst Mike Greenberg made it clear who his Coach of the Year is: Mike Tomlin.
I’m old enough to remember when #Steelers fans wanted to be done with Mike Tomlin.
Right now, he’s the #NFL coach of the year.
— Mike Greenberg (@Espngreeny) November 10, 2024
This isn’t the first time an ESPN analyst has sung Tomlin’s praises. Some time ago on Greenberg’s Get Up, Andrew Hawkins said the same thing after the Steelers win over the New Yorl Giants.
.@hawk says Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is the Coach of the Year ? pic.twitter.com/v3O1ji4w77
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) October 30, 2024
Greeny has a point. He may very well be in this conversation if things continue to cruise as they have thus far. It has been a season filled with a lot of questions and Tomlin is letting his men on the field provide the answers.
How would the Steelers offense look under Arthur Smith? So far, they are averaging nearly 24 points per game–with 30.8 points per game in their current 4-game win streak.
Is this defense going to be effective with the multiple personnel changes? So far, the defense has made the stops when it’s needed most and is holding teams to under 16 points per game.
Is Tomlin out of his mind for going to Russell Wilson after Justin Fields led them to 4-2? So far, Wilson has elevated this offense showing why the Denver Broncos traded for him in 2022.
Through all of the offseason quarterback speculation, all of the knee jerk reactions to preseason, and questions regarding personnel, Tomlin has kept his team on course.
The Commanders were a formidable challenge. However, the second half of the season is just getting started. The Steelers begin their first of six divisional games next week against a red-hot Baltimore Ravens team sitting at 7-3. They also have to travel to Philadelphia–a place they haven’t won in since 1965. To put a bow on a brutal final stretch, the Steelers will play the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day.
The advantage the Steelers have? A coach who prepares his team to answer adversity and tough stretches. At 7-7 last season, Tomlin turned to his third quarterback on a stretch that included a reeling Cincinnati Bengals, traveling to a tough Seattle environment, and finishing in Baltimore; leading to a 10-7 record and wildcard berth. The season still has a ways to go, but Tomlin’s guys don’t blink.