Another one-and-done in playoffs signals end of Mike Tomlin era with Steelers

Stop us if you've heard this one before. The Pittsburgh Steelers are one-and-done in the playoffs.

For the seventh consecutive time, the Steelers' postseason came to an abrupt finish following a 30-6 trouncing at home by the Houston Texans. The emphatic result raised fresh questions about head coach Mike Tomlin, who resigned as Pittsburgh HC on Tuesday after 19 seasons.

Pittsburgh's best days under Tomlin, who is 193-114-2 (.628) all-time, including 8-12 in the playoffs with one Super Bowl win, were clearly behind it. 

If he had not stepped down, Tomlin would have become the seventh coach in NFL history with 20 consecutive seasons as a head coach with one franchise. Most of those coaches did not have great success from Year 20 on.

Previous head coaches with 20 consecutive seasons coaching one team

This list doesn't include legendary Chicago Bears head coach George Halas, whose astonishing 40-year run came non-consecutively. He by far had the most success in his 20th season and beyond, with others mostly falling short of their early-career highs. Below, we take a chronological look at the longest-tenured coaches in league history.

Note: For win percentage, we used the post-1972 model that counts ties as 0.5 wins and 0.5 losses.

Curly Lambeau (1921-49)

First 19 seasons: 147-60-17 (.694); 2-1 playoffs; Five NFL championships

20+ seasons (10): 62-44-4 (.582); 1-1 playoffs; One NFL championship 

Steve Owen (1930-53)

First 19 seasons: 122-82-16 (.591); 2-7 playoffs; Two NFL championships

20+ seasons (4): 29-18-1 (.615); 0-1 playoffs

These two coaching legends ruled over their respective teams well before the Super Bowl era, with Lambeau leading the Green Bay Packers to six total league titles, but only one after his 19th season. Still, that's good enough to be the most for any coach in Year 20 or later.

Owen, the former New York Giants coach, is the only historically long-term coach to post a better record in his 20th season and later than in seasons 1-19, although he's also one of two without a postseason win in his third decade.

Tom Landry (1960-88)

First 19 seasons: 161-99-6 (.617); 15-10 playoffs; Two Super Bowls

20+ seasons (10): 89-63 (.586); 5-6 playoffs; Zero Super Bowls

Tied with Lambeau for the longest single run as head coach in league history (29 seasons), Landry last won the NFC in 1978, his 19th season. The Dallas Cowboys lost three consecutive conference championship games from 1980-82, one of which included "The Catch," Dwight Clark's iconic touchdown reception in the final minute of a 28-27 San Francisco 49ers win.

Landry's streak of 21 consecutive non-losing seasons (1965-85) came to an end in 1986, ceding way to three consecutive losing seasons before being fired by Jerry Jones, who hired Jimmy Johnson as his replacement.

Chuck Noll (1969-91)

First 19 seasons: 163-114-1 (.588); 15-7 playoffs; Four Super Bowls

20+ seasons (4): 30-34 (.469); 1-1 playoffs; Zero Super Bowls

The Steelers were in a similar position nearly 40 years ago with four-time Lombardi Trophy winner Noll, who was coming off a third consecutive non-playoff season entering Year 20. Pittsburgh's patience wasn't rewarded, as the team went 5-11, its worst record since Noll's first season, in 1988. The Steelers only made the postseason once during the final years of the Noll era, proving the team may have been better off making a switch earlier.

Don Shula (1970-95)

First 19 seasons: 190-88-2 (.682); 14-10 playoffs; Two Super Bowls

20+ seasons (7): 67-45 (.598); 3-4 playoffs; Zero Super Bowls

Even Shula experienced turbulence heading into his 20th season after a rocky No. 19.

"The Miami Dolphins went into the 1988 season with several key goals and failed to accomplish any of them," UPI's Bob Keim wrote at the time.

Miami finished 6-10 — its worst record of the Shula era — and Shula dealt with controversy after wide receiver Mark Duper was suspended for violating the league's substance abuse policy, with Sports Illustrated reporting the long-time coach failed to properly intervene when first becoming aware of Duper's drug problem. Shula emphatically denied the claim.

Despite those problems, the Dolphins stuck with Shula, who missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season in 1989 before making the postseason in four of his final six years, including one AFC championship game.

Bill Belichick (2000-23)

First 19 seasons: 225-79 (.740); 30-10 playoffs; Six Super Bowls

20+ seasons (5): 41-42 (.494); 0-2 playoffs

Belichick looked primed to be the most successful of the league's longest-tenured coaches after winning his sixth Super Bowl in 2018, his 19th season. But the New England Patriots were one-and-done during the next postseason after a stunning home loss to the Tennessee Titans, and the bottom fell out once quarterback Tom Brady left in free agency.