A Rivalry on The Brink?

Sunday’s meeting between the Ravens and the Steelers marks the 38th time that John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin will go head-to-head. Only legendary coaches George Halas and Curly Lambeau coached against each other more. Between 1921 and 1953, Halas and Lambeau squared off 49 times

There will be a 39th meeting between the two to end the 2025 regular season.

Of the past 38 overall Ravens-Steelers games, 28 have been decided by one score, with 19 of those coming by 3 or fewer points. Tomlin currently holds a 21-16 edge over Harbaugh in their long-running rivalry, including a 2-1 record in the playoffs.

But this rivalry might be coming to a crashing halt following the Week 18 game in Pittsburgh scheduled for January 4. Tomlin sits atop the hot seat while Harbaugh might not be far behind if the balance of the 2025 season unwinds and he can’t reel in his mercurial quarterback. That said, Tomlin is clearly under more scrutiny, and the groundswell of critics is staggering. Here are a few examples:

James Harrison doesn’t hold back on his thoughts about Mike Tomlin. #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/FLaBRwOd8u

— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) December 1, 2025

At this point… how can anyone still defend him?

Two decades of the same results, the same problems, the same stagnant ship.

It’s time for Mike Tomlin to retire.#NFL #Steelers pic.twitter.com/DvgDuqcMWj

— The Standard (@TheStandard412) December 1, 2025

Please don’t pick on children that still believe in Santa Claus.. I know adults that still believe Mike Tomlin is a good coach.

— ð‘ ð€ ð‚ ð‡ ð€ ð‹ (@rach_elizabethh) November 25, 2025

Mike Tomlin has now gone 62 straight games with 7 or fewer points in the first quarter

(64 games including playoffs)

the longest streak by any Head coach before they were fired in NFL history pic.twitter.com/63vkPkATcX

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) December 1, 2025

I’ve always looked at Tomlin as a man of principle and high character. Someone who once your friend is your forever friend. He, like Harbaugh can be loyal to a fault. But this story involving Tomlin’s former offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, with whom Tomlin won his only Super Bowl during the 2008 season, is a bit disturbing and suggests that my read on Tomlin might be a bit off.

How Mike Tomlin fired Bruce Arians

Footage from NFL Films “A Football Life” and HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” (Andrea Kremer interview).

Note – I’m just sharing the videos, not trying to make any statement.

Go to 1:45 mark if you only want to hear what happened pic.twitter.com/YnTGCv9Szb

— Steel City Star (@steelcitystar) January 17, 2025

The criticisms from former players might carry weight with the Rooney family. The franchise’s history is rich and the blowback from the club’s inner circle might convince the Rooneys that it’s time to move on. Time will tell.

But if that wasn’t enough, here are a few other noteworthy items that leave Yinzers a tad restless these days.

• 8-year playoff win draught.
• 62 games in a row without scoring more than 7 points in the 1st quarter. (64 including the playoffs, the longest streak by any Head coach before they were fired in NFL history)
• Zero coordinators hired away as head coaches.
• Lowest 4th down analytic attempts suggest Tomlin isn’t changing with the times.

To borrow from Tomlin’s coaching vernacular, the bar for “The Standard” has fallen precipitously. Organizationally the standard has shifted not only due to their fallen level of success, but also in the way they operate. During their heyday the Steelers rarely threw money at free agents and engaged in blockbuster trades the way they have this past offseason. And it represents signs of weakness, of shifting standards. It wreaks of desperation.

The Steelers are overpaying aging veterans like Cameron Heyward, T.J. Watt, Aaron Rodgers, Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey. They have the most expensive defense in the NFL yet they rank 28th. They gave up a 2nd and a 7th and a 5-year, $150M contract for D.K. Metcalf who has 45 catches for 605 yards and 5 TDs. Comparatively speaking, George Pickens who the Steelers traded for a 3rd in 2026 and a 5th in 2027, has 78 receptions for 1,179 yards and 8 TDs while being paid $3.6M. In fact, the entire Steelers WR corps has just 1,114 receiving yards, 65 yards short of Pickens’ total.

The Steelers have lost their way and it’s hard not to blame the captain of the ship.

Sunday could mark Tomlin’s last appearance in Baltimore as the skipper of “The Collective”.

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