The Pittsburgh Steelers got dominated entirely on Sunday, losing 26-7 to the Buffalo Bills. Many fans and analysts thought the lopsided final score would favor the Steelers, given the numerous injuries Buffalo was dealing with.
However, Pittsburgh’s defense allowed the Bills to rush for 249 yards against them. This embarrassing loss has led one former NFL head coach to beg the Steelers to fire Mike Tomlin.
Rex Ryan Pleads for the Steelers To Fire Mike Tomlin
On Monday morning’s episode of ESPN’s Get Up, the panel discussed what this loss means for Tomlin.
Rex Ryan said, “You know the old adage is ten years you start to smell and your message gets lost. I don’t think that’s the case with Mike Tomlin. Do Mike Tomlin a favor and fire him. He would get a job anywhere else in the league in two seconds.”
Pittsburgh moving on from Tomlin is something Steelers fans have been talking about for the past few seasons.
“Do Mike Tomlin a favor and fire him. He would get a job anywhere else in the league in two seconds.”
—Rex Ryan on Mike Tomlin In Pittsburgh pic.twitter.com/e3syb3P74e
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 1, 2025
Ryan’s plea for the Steelers to fire Tomlin likely stems from a different place than that of fans. Steelers fans are sick and tired of making the playoffs every season just to get eliminated in the first round. This type of middling success has kept Pittsburgh from finding its next franchise quarterback.
Although the Steelers pride themselves on consistency, the last decade has shown that consistency without real postseason progress only fuels more frustration.
Ryan, on the other hand, is likely looking at it from a coaching legacy perspective. Although Tomlin has won one Super Bowl in Pittsburgh, his lack of recent playoff success is likely hurting his legacy. It sounds like Ryan thinks that if he goes somewhere else, he may be able to win another championship. While that may be true, it’s not a guarantee that it will happen.
Nevertheless, things aren’t working out as expected this year in Pittsburgh. This past offseason, the Stellers put together the most expensive defense in the league. Unfortunately, they are underperforming.
According to PFSN’s defensive impact metric, Pittsburgh’s defense is ranked 20th with an impact score of 71.9. For a defense that has ranked 8th and 12th the past two seasons, that’s a significant regression.
While it’s unlikely Pittsburgh will fire Tomlin, it does seem like it’s time for the two to split amicably.
