As rookie Baltimore Ravens placekicker Tyler Loop’s last-second field goal attempt drifted wide right of its target against the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday night, the final playoff dance tickets of the NFL season were secured with dramatic ramifications.

A triumphant Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin pounded his chest and blew another kiss at the camera, while Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh would soon have to clear his desk after 18 years of service in Baltimore.

It was as winner-take-all as it could have been in this long-time rivalry between what were the two longest-tenured active head coaches in the NFL.

Harbaugh’s fate was revealed just days later as Tomlin’s reputation swelled.

It was a rough and rocky road this year, but the Steelers are in the playoffs as AFC North Champions. Despite a year of grumbling and rumblings, it’s time for Steelers Nation to rally in full force.

The teeth-grinding victory was a huge win for players and coaches, for the city of Pittsburgh, which will benefit from hosting an NFL playoff game, and for all the team’s fans, as divided as they are this season.

The Steelers are “in it to win it”, and the players are hopeful they will finally break the curse of being one and done.

How can we all best rally around the team now that we’re in the playoffs? Let’s give it a Spin.

Shake The Man’s Hand

Coach Mike Tomlin will tell you he doesn’t listen to any of the outside noise during the season, but this year it was impossible not to hear, as discontent blared from giant speakers throughout the season. The uber-confident coach has had vocal detractors among Steelers fans for years, so this was nothing new.

What was different this year was that the noise was coming from normally friendly regions. For the first time in Tomlin’s lengthy career, many leading voices in the national media and even former players were publicly sharing they thought Tomlin might need to polish up his resume.

Here in the Spin, you know I admire the man deeply as a coaching talent. What I don’t love is the endless stack of “one-year plans” that seem more about avoiding losing than doing the difficult, longer-vision work of reestablishing this franchise as a perennial Super Bowl contender.

That being said, Mike Tomlin won this year, even if it was yet another one-year plan. And this triumphant victory came while up against the greatest personal opposition he’s ever faced in coaching.

He didn’t just win because a young kicker missed a very makeable field goal in the last seconds of the final regular season game. It didn’t come down to a lucky break as some have argued.

Mike Tomlin won by getting this team off to a critical 4-1 start when his opponents were still trying to find themselves. He won once again by rallying his squad after getting drubbed at home by the Buffalo Bills. The noise was at its loudest that time of the year, and yet, Tomlin was able to keep the locker room in one big team hug, and they responded with three clutch wins in a row.

Lastly, Tomlin never allowed his team’s belief to fade, even when the Steelers fluffed their lines against the Cleveland Browns just a week prior, turning on the speaker noise once again.

Let’s be honest. The Ravens game was won by a bird’s whisker, and had that kick reached its intended destination, the discussion here and in all similar two-bit columnist commentaries would be much different.

But it didn’t. Coach Mike Tomlin won the game and subsequently won this year. If you were hoping for a change in leadership… you lost. It won’t matter if the Steelers lose 42-0 against the Houston Texans on Monday night. Won’t matter a bit.

In a few months, the Steelers will be hosting the NFL Draft, and the last thing the Rooneys would have wanted was any tarnish on their beloved reputation as one of the most stable organizations in the league.

No Bob Dylan. The times aren’t a-changin’, and not anytime soon.

Tomlin earned the “W”. Once again. So, show some sportsmanship, walk across the field and shake the man’s hand. Well played, Coach.

Man Behind The Curtain

Rich Eisen was almost schoolboy-ishly enthusiastic about getting an interview secured with Tomlin this week, and I would share his glee. I would love to interview Tomlin and would even savor the opportunity to enjoy an off-the-record chat over a cup of coffee.

Typically, I don’t enjoy most of Tomlin’s media interviews because they are so short and often just consist of a Tomlinism or two, which don’t intrigue me much. They are always cleverer than clarifying.

But Eisen got nearly 20 minutes with the Steelers’ head coach, and he made solid inquiries. I would encourage you to watch the entire interview.

Here were some of the comments that were the most enlightening to me:

TOMLIN’S PREFERENCE IN FIRST WATCHING GAME FILM ALONE
“I do like to work independently before I work as a collective. I don’t like anyone else shaping my opinion or my perception.”

TOMLIN INCLUDING BACKUP QUARTERBACKS IN SESSIONS WITH AARON RODGERS
“It’s good football discussion that aids in the growth and development of a young guy like Will Howard, who sits in on those things…but we don’t allow them to say anything.”

TOMLIN ON HARBAUGH’S FIRING
“I just think it’s a larger example of today’s sports culture in terms of not a lot of patience in the entertainment component of what it is that we do. There’s just not a long longevity. I’m sure we all would like to be Don Shula and Tom Landry, but I think those days are gone.”

There were more interesting quotes in the interview, but there are several things to cull from Tomlin’s comments above, beginning with an affirmation that he clearly doesn’t want input from anyone other than a few of his closest advisors. Even those he trusts the most aren’t allowed to pre-shape any of his own internal observations.

It doesn’t take a genius to see how this translates to how much he values feedback from Steelers fans. Truly, we are just noise and are allowed to attend the games, but we aren’t expected to speak.

I was also as shocked as Eisen was in responding to Tomlin’s commentary on today’s sports culture, not having any patience. It is evident that Tomlin doesn’t think 19 years as head of the Steelers is much more than a pit stop. He is measuring himself against Landry (29 seasons) and Shula (26 seasons). Apparently, he believes NFL head coaches should enjoy more permanent residency.

Throughout the interview, I just appreciated that Tomlin answered the questions in plain speak and with the transparency you don’t normally get with his highly polished, seemingly well-rehearsed sound bites.

Millennial’s Best

A few years ago, I had the audacity in the Spin to proclaim Cameron Heyward to be the Steelers’ best defensive player of this Millennium.

This raised shouts of blasphemy as the Troy Polamalu Admiration Society lit up their torches and sharpened their pitchforks. They argued that the beautiful-haired one was not only the best defender since the 2000s were born, but he was also one of the greatest Steelers ever.

I agree. Polamalu makes it high on my all-time Steelers list, but longevity matters. Just ask Tomlin. Not only that, but Heyward didn’t have the advantage of being surrounded by defensive Pro Bowlers and All-Pros as number 43 did throughout the entirety of his glorious career.

Look. When it comes to flash and splash plays, Polamalu wins without any dispute.

Yet, Polamalu retired at 33 when his game was rapidly wearing around the edges.

We have Heyward playing at age 36, and by some metrics, he’s still ranked among the league’s elite players at his position.

And yes, Polamalu was a quiet leader. But Heyward is both a leader in play and hustle, and he’s also capable of dragging his teammates over the line again and again through his powerful and persuasive voice as well.

There. I said it again. Cameron Heyward is the Steelers’ greatest defensive player in the 2000s.

Reasons To Fear

Many are vocalizing the belief that the Steelers are going to get crushed by the Houston Texans, who are riding high on the wave of a nine-game winning streak. Their defense has quenched the fires of some of the league’s top offenses, and the Steelers haven’t exactly been prolific in yards per game this season. They enter this game as the 25th-ranked offense, despite the heroics of Aaron Rodgers in squeezing as much water out of the rock of the team’s skill positions.

Houston’s edge tandem of Will Anderson, Jr. and Danielle Hunter creates a formidable threat as they’ve tallied 27 sacks between the two of them. Despite the fact that Rodgers features one of the fastest release passing games in the league, he’s noticeably struggled when his offensive line hasn’t given him enough time to express himself.

The Steelers have been able to overcome offensive sluggishness by getting favorable field positions from their takeaway-happy defense. Unfortunately, the Houston Texans boast a plus-17 differential in turnovers (five better than the Steelers), meaning Pittsburgh can’t count on this parachute opening up and rescuing them this time around.

It is entirely possible that the Steelers’ offense gets completely snuffed out.

Reasons To Cheer

These are the games that Tomlin and his teams win. These kinds of games where the Steelers are unanimous underdogs.

On top of this, the NFL playoffs schedulers have given the Pittsburgh Steelers an unfair advantage. Pittsburgh simply doesn’t lose at home on Monday Night Football. The last time they lost a game of this type was in 1991, when the team was still being coached by some guy named Chuck Noll.

It’s true the Texans are on a hot winning streak, with a defense that could carry them several games in the postseason.

But the Steelers are on somewhat of a winning way themselves, having won four of their last five matches, so it’s fair to say they have some momentum to burn as well.

Lastly, the Rodgers factor can’t be minimized.

Young C.J. Stroud burst into the scene as a rookie quarterback in 2023 and was all the rage. The rage died down last year in his sophomore season, and for most of the beginning of this year.

However, he’s shown flashes of his early career brilliance in recent competitions.

Still, Stroud is nearly a couple of decades away from having the type of experience that four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers will bring to this game. Not only is Rodgers playing some of his best ball in years, but he also seems to be carrying a chip or two on his shoulders as well.

If it comes down to getting into field goal position to win this with time ticking on the clock, the edge goes to the Steelers.

So, What Say You?

Straight up, the Steelers’ defense can’t compete against that of the Houston Texans. They pale in comparison. The Southerners are surging to elite status, and they’ve displayed their talents this season against much more impressive offensive opposition.

Yet, the Steelers don’t have to claim to have the best defense. They just need to have more points by the end of the game.

They’ll do this by keeping the game close and avoiding mistakes. Because when it comes to mistakes, whoever blinks will most likely lose.

It would be nice to say that the Steelers’ elderly squad will hold the edge in game wisdom and will be less subject to getting nervous under the lights, but the Texans have a veteran team as well.

The Texans lack a running game, but the Steelers don’t rank much higher in this category themselves. Which means shockingly, the battle will be won through air supremacy.

It would be convenient to say that DK Metcalf will return from suspension overflowing with guilt and redeem himself by being the difference-maker. Except…he’ll be blanketed by two of the most gifted cornerbacks in the league in Derek Stingley, Jr. and rookie Kamari Lassiter.

Then there is the mystique of Monday Night Football that favors the Black and Gold. This is offset by the fact that the Texans have won Wild Card games in each of their two prior seasons, whereas the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game for quite some time.

All of this to say…I have no idea who wins. We might just have to Spin it to determine who wins it.

At least we’re in it with a chance to win it.