Losing Coach in Ravens vs. Steelers Could Be Fired

A literal hot seat counts as a commodity in Pittsburgh and Baltimore for those catching the NFL in person in winter.

While the figurative kind is much less coveted, the men coaching those cities’ pro football teams undeniably flirt with that perilous position entering Sunday night’s AFC North title game between the Steelers and visiting Ravens.

A victory secures a division championship, the conference’s No. 4 playoff seed, and a home game in the wild-card round. A loss ends the season – and perhaps even the tenure of Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh or John Harbaugh in Baltimore.

Those are serious stakes, to be sure, and Harbaugh gets the early nod for staying stoic as the showdown approaches. Whether that calm translates to his players or Pittsburgh’s remains to be seen.

“There’s always pressure,” Harbaugh said, “but I think it was Billie Jean King who said, ‘Pressure is a privilege,’ right? That’s something that is earned. So, we feel like it’s something very worthwhile to be in games like this. And, if those are the things that are being talked about along with that, that’s OK. That’s a privilege, too.”

Pittsburgh wouldn’t be in this predicament had the Steelers defeated the lowly Cleveland Browns and their rookie quarterback in Week 17. But Browns 13, Steelers 6 coupled with Ravens 41, Green Bay Packers 24 the night before reopened the window for Baltimore.

A nugget from CBS during the Steelers-Browns broadcast showed that the Steelers under Tomlin are 0-4-1 in their last five games against foes who were at least eight games under .500 at kickoff. That matches the longest winless streak of its kind in league history.

Speaking of the past, the Steelers still can tout theirs positively. Each season pocked with a loss or tie to a heavy non-contender ultimately resulted in a Pittsburgh playoff berth.

The Steelers also won 27-22 at Baltimore in Week 14, overcoming 217 rushing yards on 5.4 yards per carry from the Ravens ground game.

“We control our destiny,” Pittsburgh defensive tackle Cam Heyward said. “We don’t have to look around. The ball is in our home court. I expect our guys to be locked in.”

It seems there can be no mention of Tomlin without the accompanying stat about his never guiding a losing team in 19 seasons with Pittsburgh.

Isn’t it a privilege to have such a leader on the sidelines, especially one who has helped the Steelers stay afloat without a bona fide franchise QB in the past several years?

Baltimore boasts one of those in Lamar Jackson, whose status for Sunday is uncertain as he deals with a back contusion.

Pittsburgh, meantime, again will be without journeyman Aaron Rodgers’ top receiver as DK Metcalf serves the second of a two-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the league. Fellow wideout Calvin Austin III is questionable with a hamstring injury and tight end Darnell Washington won’t play after suffering a broken arm in the first half of the Cleveland loss.

No previous Steelers-Ravens matchup has carried this kind of winner-take-all cachet.

Will Tomlin and/or Harbaugh be around to preside over the next one?