Mike Tomlin Reflects on Steelers Late-Season Collapse: ‘That’s Just the Sober Truth’
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was blunt when reflecting on his team's five-game losing streak to end the 2024 season.
PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Pittsburgh Steelers lost five straight games to finish the 2024 season. It wasn’t the end the Steelers likely imagined, but it did give them a measuring stick as to where they stack up against the rest of the league.
According to head coach Mike Tomlin, that measuring stick revealed his team was much further off than he had hoped.
“We played some elite teams, and we weren’t one of them. That’s just the sober truth of this business,” Tomlin said. “It’s hard, but it’s fair and that’s what I love about it. You work all year in an effort to be moving in the right trajectory at the significant part of the year. The reality of 2024 for us was as the road got narrow, we were not one of the elites.”
Both sides of the ball struggled during the span. The offense failed to score more than 17 points in every game, which is a streak that hasn’t occurred since Chuck Noll’s first season in 1969.
The defense, on the other hand, allowed 397.2 total yards per game and 157.4 rushing yards per game, both of which would have ranked as the second-worst in the league for the 2024 season behind only the 5-12 Carolina Panthers.
That is not good company to be in, but Tomlin is thankful his team was given a much-needed reality check.
“Thankfully, for us, we got to play the elites,” Tomlin said. “That’s something that I’m really interested in because if you desire to be world champs, you want to measure yourself against the very best. To play the very best, you want to beat them. We had those opportunities, but we didn’t get it done.”
Since then, Tomlin has said that he expects changes on a lot of levels. That hasn’t really been the case for his coaching staff, but the Steelers did let several free agents walk out the door while also making a blockbuster trade for wide receiver DK Metcalf.
The Steelers 2024 late-season collapse was concerning to see. Tomlin is not going to let that change how he operates this time of year, though.
“2024 is 2024. You don’t get do-overs. I’m just highlighting how it transpired for us,” Tomlin said. “I really don’t move in 2025 in pure reaction to what happens because circumstances and variables are always changing. Certainly, it’s a guiding principle as you move, but it’s so many of those.”
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Palm Beach, Fla.