The Steelers have always been a tough out under Mike Tomlin, who’s now in his 16th year as head coach and has a .631 regular-season winning percentage.
But Tomlin’s teams have been particularly good on Monday Night Football. With the Week 12 victory over Indianapolis, Pittsburgh is 19-3 on Monday nights since Tomlin took over in 2007.
Tomlin was asked in his Tuesday press conference to what he attributes that success.
“I don’t,” Tomlin said. “Man, I get singularly focused on each opportunity. I respect Monday Night Football. I make sure our team does. I just appreciate it from a fan’s perspective. Somebody that loves football, that grew up pre-SportsCenter. Man, Howard Cosell gave you the highlights from the day before, and that’s about all you saw. And then after halftime, my mom would make me go to bed.
“And so, I just love and respect it and want to be prepared for it and put my best foot forward. But, you know, I have no response to the record that you mentioned.”
Response or not, the Steelers got a key victory that put them at 4-7 with six games to go. Pittsburgh has not finished with a losing record under Tomlin and Monday’s victory put them a step closer to keeping that 15-year streak alive.