Steelers' Mike Tomlin Addresses Harsh Fan Reactions ...

By Rowan Fisher-ShottonShareNewsweek is a Trust Project member

The Pittsburgh Steelers faithful made their feelings known on Sunday as boos, chants of "Fire Tomlin," and an uneasy silence hung over a 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills that dropped the Steelers to 6-6.

The game was tight at halftime, with the Steelers ahead 7-3, but Buffalo dominated after the break, piling up 249 rushing yards (an Acrisure Stadium record) and controlling the clock for nearly 42 minutes to Pittsburgh’s 18.

The Bills finished with 372 total yards to the Steelers’ 166.

More importantly, the Bills game exposed the Steelers’ recurring problems: inability to stop the run, failure to finish drives, and coaching decisions that some fans and analysts say have produced predictable game plans.

Yet, it was still surprising to hear loud "Fire Tomlin" chants in the fourth quarter, calling for the job of a Super Bowl-winning head coach who has been with the franchise for nearly two decades.

On Tuesday, Mike Tomlin addressed those calls, saying, "Football is our game, we are in the sport of entertainment business. If you root for the Steelers, entertaining them is winning. So when you're not winning, it's not entertaining."

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Aaron Rodgers finished 10-of-21 for 117 yards versus the Bills, while Jaylen Warren accounted for the team's only touchdown, along with 35 rushing yards on 10 carries.

On the season, Rodgers has thrown for just 2,086 yards, 19 touchdowns, and seven interceptions, completing 65.2% of his passes with a 95.4 passer rating across 11 games.

DK Metcalf, the team's leading receiver and high-profile offseason acquisition, has produced just 605 receiving yards and five TDs on 45 catches in 12 games.

With just five games remaining in the NFL season, there’s a real chance Rodgers finishes below 3,000 passing yards and Metcalf under 1,000 receiving yards — two glaring disappointments for a unit that entered the year with lofty expectations.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

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A week earlier, Pittsburgh lost 31-28 at Chicago, a game that already raised questions about consistency after the Steelers had opened the season well.

Although the back-to-back losses now have fans pointing to more serious systemic problems on both sides of the ball, with Tomlin cast as the face of those frustrations.

Looking ahead, Pittsburgh is still alive in the AFC North, tied with Baltimore at 6-6, but the margin for error is slim.

The next five games are critical: at Baltimore, vs. Miami, at Detroit, at Cleveland, and a Week 18 meeting with Baltimore.

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