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Nov 30, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin warms up for a game against the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Ravens Could End Steelers, Mike Tomlin

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Dec 5, 2025 12:30 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers surely understand the magnitude of their Week 14 matchup with the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

Both teams are tied for first place in the AFC North while sitting at 6-6, but they're trending in opposite directions. Pittsburgh has gone 2-5 over its last seven contests while the Ravens, who fell in a Thanksgiving bout with the Cincinnati Bengals last weel, had won their last five games up to that point.

As speculation runs wild regarding head coach Mike Tomlin's future with the Steelers, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer acknowledged that it feels as though there's much more on the line for Pittsburgh compared to Baltimore in this week's divisional clash.

.."This feels like a much bigger game for Pittsburgh than it does for Baltimore, doesn't it?" Breer said on the "MMQB" podcast, per Steelers Depot's Ross McCorkle "It just feels like with all the noise around them... It just feels to me like this is sort of a tipping point for them. Maybe that's superficial. It might be, you know what I mean? That might not be reflective of the way the people in the building feel, but they're sitting here at 6-6... If they lose this one, then that Monday night game [Week 15 vs. the Miami Dolphins] becomes a referendum on Mike Tomlin.

"If they lose by a couple touchdowns, I mean, look out. Now the discussions turn into something that it isn't quite yet, and it's already, again gotten kind of hot there."

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Why Steelers Are Under More Heat

Though the Ravens' fan base is fed up with head coach John Harbaugh and their entire operation in their whole right, the Steelers are on a different level in that regard.

There have been calls for Pittsburgh to part ways to Tomlin and make some widespread changes over the last few years, but like Breer said, something about this time around just feels a little different as patience continues wearing thin.

Baltimore certainly hasn't been perfect over the same timeframe that the Stelelers have fallen short, but Harbaugh has helped guide it to two-straight division titles in 2023 and 2024 while picking up playoff wins on each occasion, including one over Pittsburgh last year.

It helps that the Ravens have one of the league's top quarterbacks in two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, but some of the credit for his succees can be attributed to Harbaugh.

Baltimore has simply built up more goodwill than Pittsburgh, which is why the two sides are in the position that they are in now.

What Could Happen if Steelers Continue Faltering?

Considering Jackson is expected to play despite suffering a new ankle injury, the odds are stacked against the Steelers this weekend.

Tomlin and the rest of Pittsburgh's coaching staff will likely stick around for the remainder of the campaign barring a complete collapse of epic proportions, though, meaning no monumental move on ownership's part should be viewed as imminent regardless of the outcome in Baltimore.

At this point, though, there's momentum towards the Steelers and Tomlin mutually parting ways. That doesn't mean it's a certainty, but the team can't just sit around and wait for things to get better without taking some action.

Tomlin is a legendary head coach who will make the Hall of Fame once he calls it a career, and he'd have no issue finding another job in the NFL should be become a free agent, so to speak, but both he and Pittsburgh might be better off if they move on from one another.

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