Sean Gallagher

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is a Super Bowl champion and has never posted a losing record through the first 16 seasons of his tenure.

Season 17 may not end the same way, as the Steelers, after starting 7-4 despite not having a great offense, have now dropped three-straight, losing two of those three to the lowly Cardinals and Patriots, following it up with an even worse performance at the Colts this past Saturday, in a matchup that had playoff implications, could be on their way to a losing season with the Bengals, Seahawks and Ravens left on the schedule.

Steelers fans demand winning to the point where they are insufferable, expecting a Super Bowl victory each season, which makes the schadenfreude even more enjoyable for those who hate the team. To say fans should be happy with no playoff wins since 2016 and no trips to the Super Bowl since 2010 would be insane.

For any other franchise with these expectations, results like these would result in changes, especially with the head coach.

But this the Steelers, the franchise that has had three coaches since 1969 who have all had their streak of success, and to be fair, maybe overstayed their welcome. So proposing the idea of parting ways with Mike Tomlin at season’s end is a sensitive one.

Tomlin is not the main problem. Kenny Pickett has not met expectations after being drafted in the first round. Najee Harris is more miss than hit with the running game, and George Pickens and Diontae Johnson are getting more frustrated with each passing week. Also fair to point out the recent decline of the defense, which gave them chances to win games in the first half of the season.

Changing up coordinators, like when the Steelers fired Matt Canada in late November, provides insurance for a head coach who may be under increased pressure, with the hope that things get better. For the Steelers, it has gotten worse, and Tomlin doesn’t have anyone else to throw to the wolves.

Chuck Noll retired and Bill Cowher resigned, both able to leave in their own way, and if that’s tradition, Tomlin should be the one to decide if he wants to move on and coach elsewhere, especially when there are teams that would kill to have him be their head coach, and perhaps that would be the best way to end his tenure.

But what if that’s just a myth? What if Art Rooney II decides a change is needed and it goes beyond changing assistant coaches and coordinators and it’s not up to Tomlin?

Well, at 7-7 with three games left, and the Steelers still “in the hunt” for the playoffs, it’s a “wait-and-see” situation right now.