All Mike Tomlin does is win. By virtue of the Steelers’ 44-38 victory over the Bengals on Sunday, Tomlin extended his NFL record of consecutive non-losing seasons by a head coach to begin his career.
Tomlin, who succeeded Steelers Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher in 2007, sealed his 18th consecutive non-losing season in Week 13. The 52-year-old Tomlin has been adding to his record since 2021, when he broke a tie with Marty Schottenheimer for the most consecutive non-losing seasons to begin a head-coaching career.
In 18 seasons, Tomlin’s teams have had 15 winning seasons (three seasons where they went .500). Pittsburgh has qualified for the playoffs 11 times under Tomlin’s watch. The Steelers have won seven AFC North division titles under Tomlin in addition to two AFC championships and one Super Bowl, which occurred in Tomlin’s second season at the helm.
Steelers seasons under Tomlin
|
2007 |
10-6 |
Yes (AFC North champs) |
L vs. JAX in wild card |
|
2008 |
12-5 |
Yes (AFC North champs) |
Super Bowl champions |
|
2009 |
9-7 |
No |
3rd in AFC North |
|
2010 |
12-4 |
Yes (AFC North champs) |
L vs. GB in SB XLV |
|
2011 |
12-4 |
Yes |
L vs. DEN in wild card round |
|
2012 |
8-8 |
No |
3rd in AFC North |
|
2013 |
8-8 |
No |
2nd in AFC North |
|
2014 |
11-5 |
Yes (AFC North champs) |
L vs. BAL in wild card round |
|
2015 |
10-6 |
Yes |
L vs. DEN in divisional round |
|
2016 |
11-6 |
Yes (AFC North champs) |
L vs. NE in AFC Championship |
|
2017 |
13-3 |
Yes (AFC North champs) |
L vs. JAX in divisional round |
|
2018 |
9-6-1 |
No |
2nd in AFC North |
|
2019 |
8-8 |
No |
2nd in AFC North |
|
2020 |
12-4 |
Yes (AFC North champs) |
L vs. CLE in wild card round |
|
2021 |
9-7-1 |
Yes |
L vs. KC in wild card round |
|
2022 |
9-8 |
No |
3rd in AFC North |
|
2023 |
10-7 |
Yes |
L vs. BUF in wild card round |
|
2024 |
9-3 |
??? |
??? |
In 2021, Tomlin passed Cowher as the second-winningest coach in Steelers history. He is 12th in NFL history in career wins and is just 11 wins away from matching former Steelers Hall of Fame coach Coach Noll’s tally of 193 regular-season games won during his time in Pittsburgh. Tomlin’s 190 total wins are 19 behind Noll, who won 16 playoff games in Pittsburgh that includes four Super Bowls.
Like Noll and Cowher, Tomlin will earn a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame whenever he is eligible to do so. This year, Tomlin is an early favorite to win NFL Coach of the Year, an award that has eluded him to this point in his career.
