Report links Steelers' struggles at start of 2026 season with Mike Tomlin

While the Pittsburgh Steelers split the first two games of their 2026 season, their offense largely left much to be desired with its play over the campaign's first eight quarters under first-year head coach Mike McCarthy. 

Meanwhile, Mike Tomlin is not serving as Pittsburgh's head coach for the first time since he held that gig from 2007 through the 2025 season. For a piece published late Thursday night, NFL insider Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports shared that "one source close to the team" said the Steelers are dealing with what was referred to as a "Mike Tomlin hangover." 

What is a "Mike Tomlin hangover?"

"As one would expect," Pauline wrote, "things are different in the building with a new head coach, but I’ve been told the team misses Tomlin’s edge. The Steelers are not playing with the same passion or energy as they did when Tomlin was on the sidelines, and some are concerned about whether they can turn it around. There was a feeling the Steelers would win every week when the former coach led them onto the field or would find a way to get it done when they were down. That same belief is no longer there, or at least not yet there, with McCarthy."

While Tomlin wasn't the most popular figure among Steelers fans over the final few years of his lengthy tenure, it's no secret that he was beloved among his players. Back in January, reports detailed how Pittsburgh players were stunned and "emotional" when Tomlin told them during a meeting that he was stepping down after 19 seasons in charge.

Has Mike McCarthy already lost the Steelers locker room? 

Pauline's piece could lead one to believe that McCarthy is in danger of losing members of the Pittsburgh locker room. According to Pauline, that's not necessarily the case. 

"McCarthy’s arrival has intensified focus on the window," Pauline continued, "with the aging core leaving no room for a rebuild. It was stressed to me that this was not meant to disrespect McCarthy in any way; rather, the franchise, which ranks amongst the older teams in the league, seems slow in assimilating to the change in coaching styles. Given the age of the roster, including the stars on their depth chart, people in the league believe it’s now or never for the Steelers.  If the team continues to play mediocre football, or even worse, that will surely raise the value of Tomlin, who’ll be one of the hottest names during the off-season coaching search." 

Tomlin may or may not be ready to return to coaching as soon as this coming January, as he is spending this season working as an NFL analyst for NBC.

As for the 1-1 Steelers, they will try to bounce back from a brutal 20-3 Week 2 loss to the New England Patriots when Pittsburgh hosts the 2-0 Cincinnati Bengals this coming Sunday.