Mike Tomlin made a telling admission following his team's third-straight win, a 26-24 win over the Colts that got his team to an even 4-4 at 2019 season's midway point.
Just four weeks ago, the Steelers were sitting at 1-4 and appeared to be going nowhere fast. The Steelers are now being considered as a possible playoff contender entering Sunday's game against the Rams.
"It's good to be .500 at the turn … given where we've come from," said Tomlin, who has never had a losing season in his 13 seasons in Pittsburgh. "It's going to still be a while -- we'll work forever trying to get that September stench off of us, but that's life in this thing. It's good to be sitting at 4-4. I never thought I'd hear myself say that."
The Steelers' remaining schedule includes just three games against teams with winning record. In all, Pittsburgh's remaining seven opponents have a combined record of 24-33-1. The Steelers have one game remaining against the winless Bengals, two games against the 2-6 Browns and a Week 16 game in New York against the 1-7 Jets. Pittsburgh's toughest games -- on paper -- are this Sunday's game against the 5-3 Rams, a Week 15 home game against the 6-2 Bills and their season finale in Baltimore against the 6-2 Ravens, who edged Pittsburgh at Heinz Field in Week 5.
While their team's remaining schedule is favorable, Steelers fans should also be encouraged when looking back at how Pittsburgh has done in the past under Tomlin after winning half or fewer of its first eight games.
| Year | Record after 8 games | Final record | Playoffs? |
|---|---|---|---|
2013 | 2-6 | 8-8 | No |
2015 | 4-4 | 10-6 | Yes |
2016 | 4-4 | 11-5 | Yes |
2013: 'Killer B' era begins
The 2013 Steelers made a valiant run at the playoffs after losing their first four games of the season and ultimately falling to 2-6 at the season's midway point following a blowout loss to the Patriots in Foxboro. In the first year of a time that would later be referred to as the "Killer B" era, Pittsburgh rode the talents of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and rookie Le'Veon Bell to six wins in their final eight games that included a gritty Week 16 overtime win over the Packers at snowy Lambeau Field.
The Steelers, however, were eliminated from playoff contention on the final weekend of the regular season. While each of the Steelers' losses contributed to Pittsburgh's second non-playoff season, Brown stepping out of bounds on what would have been the game-winning touchdown in the Steelers' last loss of the season, a 34-28 loss to the Dolphins in Week 14.
2015: Loss to Cincy stands out
The 2015 Steelers also started slow, losing half of their first eight games that included an ugly home loss to the Bengals in Week 8, which stands as the last time Cincinnati has beaten Pittsburgh. Adding insult to injury was a season-ending injury to Bell, who was injured on a tackle made by Vontaze Burfict. The loss also put the Steelers three games behind the Bengals in the AFC North division standings. Cincinnati would stretch its lead to four games after starting the season with an 8-0 record.
Behind several epic performances by Roethlisberger and Brown and DeAngelo Williams' superb work filling in for Bell, the Steelers won six out of their last eight games that included a win over the Bengals in Cincinnati. It also included a thrilling win over the eventual Super Bowl champion Broncos that saw Pittsburgh overcome a 27-10 deficit.
But after a loss to the Ravens in Week 16, the Steelers needed a Week 17 win in Cleveland and a Jets loss in Buffalo to secure a playoff spot. While Pittsburgh beat Cleveland, the Bills upset the Jets to set up the Steelers' first round matchup against the Bengals, a game that wasn't won until Chris Boswell drilled the game-winning kick in the final seconds. Brown, who was concussed by Burfict during the game, would be forced to miss Pittsburgh's divisional round matchup against Denver.
Without Brown, the Steelers still held a one-point lead against the Broncos and were on the move before a critical fourth quarter fumble set up Denver's go-ahead touchdown.
2016: Nine-game win streak
The 2016 Steelers jumped out to a 4-1 start before losing four consecutive games. But after falling at home to the Cowboys in Week 10, Pittsburgh won nine consecutive games behind the strength of Bell (who rushed for franchise single game regular season and playoff records during the run) and an opportunistic defense led by linebackers James Harrison and Ryan Shazier. Brown's "Immaculate Extension" near the end of Pittsburgh's Christmas Day victory over Baltimore awarded the Steelers the AFC North division title.
In the playoffs, the Steelers dismantled the Dolphins (the same team that embarrassed the Steelers in Week 6) before edging the Chiefs behind Bell's 170 rushing yards and six Chris Boswell field goals. The Steelers' run came to an abrupt halt in the AFC title game, as Pittsburgh -- who lost Bell to a groin injury early in the first half -- lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Patriots.
What about this year?
While Pittsburgh's current team no longer has the "Killer Bs", the Steelers do have the personnel to join the '15 and '16 squads as playoff teams. The defense, led by Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, rookie Devin Bush, Joe Haden and newcomer Minkah Fitzpatrick, have become one of the league's best units. Boswell, after a sluggish 2018 season, has returned to form, connecting on 17 of his first 18 field goal attempts this season and has yet to miss a point-after attempt.
The main question is whether or not Pittsburgh's offense -- specifically quarterback Mason Rudolph -- will be able to elevate their play during the second half of the season. While he's been anything but perfect, Rudolph's ability to manage games, while winning three of his first five starts, is an indication that he is up to the task with regard to what lies in store during the second half of the season.
While he likely won't be in the conversation for Coach of the Year, what Tomlin has been able to do with this Steelers team to this point in the season has been remarkable. While Pittsburgh's roster is still littered with talented players, his ability to turn Pittsburgh's season around without Big Ben, Brown and Bell has been nothing short of remarkable. Tomlin, however, knows that he is solely measured in Pittsburgh by championships, something that he continues to set his sights on while navigating his team through the second half of the season.
