Mike Tomlin didn’t reach for the obvious answer when asked to name the best Steelers team he ever coached.
The new NBC analyst, speaking on TODAY’s “Glass Half Full,” pointed to Pittsburgh’s 2015 group - not the 2007 squad that won the Super Bowl. That team finished 10-6 in the regular season before falling to Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional Round.
“The best team I coached probably didn’t win,” Tomlin said. “It was probably in the mid-teens, 2015, 16.
We lost. Denver won it with Peyton that year at the end of his career, and we lost to those guys in Denver.”
Tomlin had plenty of strong Steelers teams over his 19 seasons in Pittsburgh. Seven of them won at least 11 regular-season games, and the peak came in 2017, when the Steelers went 13-3. Pittsburgh had already captured two conference titles before 2015, and the team went on to reach the AFC Championship Game in 2016.
What makes Tomlin’s pick stand out even more is that he chose one of his most productive offenses. The 2015 Steelers ranked fourth in scoring, the best mark of his tenure, even though Ben Roethlisberger missed five games during the regular season. Roethlisberger was back for the postseason, but Pittsburgh was missing two major pieces when its season ended.
Le’Veon Bell tore his MCL six games into the year, and Antonio Brown was knocked out with a concussion on the infamous hit by Vontaze Burfict in the Steelers’ first-round win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Against the Broncos, Pittsburgh actually outgained Denver 396 yards to 324 as a heavy road underdog. But the Steelers still left Mile High with a 23-16 loss, undone by five Brandon McManus field goals.
Tomlin made it clear he thinks that team had championship-level talent if a few things had gone differently.
“Sometimes things don’t come together for you,” Tomlin said. “We were in that stadium that particular day without Le’Veon Bell, without Antonio Brown due to injury, and so the journey came to an end for us.
But that team? That team was as talented as any team I’ve ever been around.
We had the goods.”
In Other News...
Mike Tomlin Just Reopened A Coaching Possibility Steelers Fans Feared
Mike Tomlins move to NBC after stepping away from coaching following the 2025 season looked like a clean break from the sideline, but he has not sounded like a man who has closed that door for good. In a recent interview, the former Steelers head coach said his passion for coaching remains, and while he is enjoying the broadcast side of the business, he made clear he would not completely rule out a return.
For Steelers fans, the more notable part is the standard Tomlin set over 19 seasons in Pittsburgh, where he won a Super Bowl and never finished with a losing record. Any talk of a comeback now comes with an important caveat, though: he would be selective about the teams he would consider, which leaves the possibility open without making it feel imminent. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers First-Round Rookie Hit With Serious Off-Field Issue Before Week 1
A difficult start to rookie life has landed for Max Iheanachor just as the Steelers turn their focus to Week 1. Pittsburgh police are investigating a burglary at Iheanachors Mount Washington home that took place Aug. 26, and the loss was significant, with more than $150,000 worth of valuables stolen, including jewelry and designer handbags.
For a player getting ready to begin his NFL career, it adds an unwelcome layer of off-field stress at exactly the wrong time. No arrests have been made, and while the team is moving toward its season opener, Iheanachor now has to sort through a situation that has nothing to do with football but will still follow him into the start of his pro career. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Rookie Hit By Brutal Off-Field Issue Before Key Week 1 Role
Max Iheanachors first NFL summer has already been a crash course in pro footballs unpredictability, and not all of it has happened on the field. The Steelers rookie offensive lineman was dealing with a training camp injury when his home in Mount Washington was burglarized Aug. 26, leaving him to absorb a personal setback while still trying to lock in his place on the roster.
Police are investigating the break-in, and no arrests have been made after more than $150,000 worth of valuables, including jewelry and designer handbags, were taken. Even with that off-field disruption hanging over him, Iheanachor is still expected to open his career as Pittsburghs No. 2 right tackle, a reminder of how much the Steelers are counting on him in a meaningful early-season role. [Read more 🡒]