Is Mike Tomlin Coach of the Year halfway through season?

The Steelers have not been a pretty team to watch halfway through the 2023 season, but they are somehow 5-3 and in second place in the AFC North. Should Mike Tomlin be the frontrunner for NFL Coach of the Year?

There's certainly a case to be made for him as Pittsburgh became the first team in NFL history to be outgained by its opponent in each of its first eight games of a season and still have a winning record.

Believe it or not, Tomlin has never won Coach of the Year, although he has the most consecutive non-losing seasons to begin a coaching career (16). The Ringer's Benjamin Solak thinks that this year, Tomlin deserves the nod.

"The only thing the Steelers have going for them lately is that they're well coached," Solak writes. "I don't know whether the Steelers will finish this season with a winning record and a playoff berth ... but man, if they do, this award must be Tomlin's."

Pittsburgh simply knows how to win close games. The team has won every single game that ended in a difference of seven or fewer points this season.

Tomlin has been highly criticized for not making a Super Bowl since the 2010 season and not winning one since 2008. That said, no matter how good his team is on paper, Tomlin always seems to have the Steelers in contention for the postseason by the end of the year, which is not something a lot of teams can say.

ESPN's Dan Graziano also believes Pittsburgh's winning record has everything to do with Tomlin.

"Mike Tomlin is a Hall of Fame coach," Graziano said. "If ever the Steelers got tired of him, teams would fire their coaches to line up to try and hire him. There's nobody better at consistently, week in and week out, making sure their team is ready to play the game."

The Steelers have another great opportunity to win their type of low-scoring game in Week 10 when they host the Packers, who are averaging the ninth-least total yards per game (300), and continue building Tomlin's case for NFL Coach of the Year.