Steelers News: Should Head Coach Mike Tomlin Be On The Hot Seat?

With the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5-1) in danger of potentially missing the playoffs for the first time since 2013, there have been rumblings that the club could part ways with head coach Mike Tomlin.

Tomlin, 46, has led the Steelers to a Super Bowl and has a 123-65 record. In 11 full seasons, Tomlin has led Pittsburgh to the playoffs eight times and the Steelers have never finished a season below .500.

But there has been lingering discontent this season about the secondary and questionable game management, as Pittsburgh has underachieved after a 13-3 season.

The second half of the season, in particular, has done Tomlin no favors. The Steelers have lost three straight games and are coming off a particularly painful loss — a 24-21 setback to the lowly Oakland Raiders that ended with kicker Chris Boswell slipping while attempting a 40-yard field goal.

And the hot-seat talk may grow louder for Tomlin in the coming weeks. The Steelers on Sunday host the New England Patriots and then travel to New Orleans to face the Saints in Week 16, creating the very real possibility that Pittsburgh could be 7-7-1 entering the final week of the season at home against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Baltimore Ravens, meanwhile, have a 7-6 record and have upcoming games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers and Cleveland Browns.

Should the Steelers miss out on the playoffs, Tomlin could still make a case to keep his job. Pittsburgh has been without superstar running back Le'Veon Bell for the entire season due to a contract dispute and his replacement, James Conner, is nursing an ankle injury. Meanwhile, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, 36, is dealing with a rib injury.

Tomlin is well-liked by the players and front office. He has also helped lead the Steelers to three playoff wins in the past three years.

On Wednesday, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Ron Cook stressed that Tomlin will likely survive the hot-seat rumors.

"Tomlin isn’t going anywhere even if the Steelers lose out, end the season on a six-game losing streak and miss the playoffs. Firing the coach after one bad year isn’t the Rooney way," Cook wrote.

Cook was referring to the incredible patience the Steelers' ownership tends to have with head coaches. Since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, the Steelers have only had three head coaches: Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher and Tomlin. All three won Super Bowls during their tenure in Pittsburgh.

Noll and Cowher were both retained for long periods of time and allowed to leave on their own terms despite disappointment and periods of mediocrity. Noll missed the playoffs in six of his last seven seasons in Pittsburgh, while it took Cowher 14 seasons to win a championship with the Steelers.