In the waning moments of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season-opening 33-3 loss in New England, you could literally feel the heat increasing. The heat wasn’t on you but it sure was on Mike Tomlin yet we could all feel it. The Patriots were ‘beatable’ after all weren’t they? Tom Brady was another year older and noted Steeler-Killer Rob Gronkowski had retired. Then the smack of reality hit us all in the face and many of us, myself included, thought this was the beginning of the end for Tomlin.
A close loss in the home opener to Seattle came next but was overshadowed by the loss of Ben Roethlisberger for the season.