The Pittsburgh Steelers had a chance to punch their playoff ticket early in Week 17, but they blew it in a 13-6 loss to a Cleveland Browns team that is now 4-12. That means the NFL gets its Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens showdown to decide the AFC North in prime time in Week 18. A tradition as old as time.
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But even with another shot at the division crown, the anti-Mike Tomlin rumblings have begun again in earnest, both in Steeler City and in the national media.
Cam Newton is not buying into that, though. On ESPN’s First Take, the day after Pittsburgh’s debacle in Cleveland, he defended the embattled, yet longest-tenured head coach in American sports at 19 years.
Newton believes Tomlin’s standard, as he often says, “the standard is the standard,” has been set so high that when those lofty expectations are not met, the criticism boomerangs back on him.
“What I’m saying is, when you talk about John Harbaugh, he’s created a standard in Baltimore that when it’s not met, he’s to blame. The same with Mike Tomlin… He’s set a standard of expectations so high in Pittsburgh that when it’s not met, he’s to blame,” said the former QB.
Newton went on to lay out how the season the Steelers are having would be considered a very good showing for about half of the teams in the league. The former MVP also believes it would be a mistake to fire Tomlin even if the Steelers fumble this AFC North title.
“If you take the Pittsburgh Steelers’ record and you place it with the Las Vegas Raiders, that’s a successful season. If you gave that same record to the Cleveland Browns, that’s a successful season,” argued Newton, adding,
“I’m saying all that to remind people of how great Mike Tomlin is. And he has been a victim of his own success. Now, if you get rid of him, it’ll be a big mistake, because before he can even clear out his desk in Pittsburgh, he will have a job, guaranteed.”
"He set a standard of expectation so high in Pittsburgh that when it's not met, he's to blame." ✍️@CameronNewton on if the Steelers should move on from Mike Tomlin if they lose the AFC North 🏈 pic.twitter.com/6jxWhOEOjG
— First Take (@FirstTake) December 29, 2025
A team like the New York Giants would certainly be staring daggers at Tomlin if he ever stepped out on Pittsburgh. But that seems doubtful. If and when Tomlin leaves the Steel City, it’s likely to be on his own terms.
He is 10th all-time in NFL history with 192 regular-season wins (second on the active list). He won all of those with one team, which puts him behind only George Halas, Bill Belichick, Don Shula, Tom Landry, Curly Lambeau, and Chuck Noll for most career wins with one team. In fact, one more win would tie Tomlin with Noll for most in Steelers franchise history.
Despite that lofty standing, Tomlin has strangely struggled against the worst of the worst recently. According to CBS’s Doug Clawson, he is 0-4-1 in his past five games against teams entering at 8+ games under .500. The longest such streak in the history of the league.
Thankfully, the Ravens are not 8+ games under .500, but instead are 8-8. Tomlin has also gone 22-18 against the Ravens in his 19 years on the job. That includes a 9-3 record in the 2020s with a 4-1 record at home.
Tune in at 8:20 PM ET on January 4 on NBC to see who will take the AFC North for 2025.
