Mike Tomlin, Steelers match Cowboys’ NFL record with 21st season without a losing record

Mike Tomlin is now just one season away from making NFL history.

The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers coach secured another season in which his team will finish at .500 or better on Sunday afternoon with their 44-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. That marked the 21st consecutive season in team history without a losing record, which matches an NFL record. The Dallas Cowboys pulled off that same feat from 1965-1985.

The last time the Steelers had a losing season was in 2003, when they went just 6-10 under Hall of Fame coach Bill Cower. The Steelers went an incredible 15-1 the next season, and then beat the Seattle Seahawks to win the Super Bowl to wrap the 2005 campaign. Cower finished his career with the Steelers after going 8-8 in 2006.

Tomlin then took over in 2007, and he’s never finished worse than 8-8 — a mark he’s hit just three times. He led the team to its sixth Super Bowl win in his second season with the franchise, and he’s made the playoffs 11 times in his 17 seasons in Pittsburgh. Tomlin is the longest-tenured active head coach in the league.

The Cowboys accomplished their 21 consecutive seasons at .500 or better under Hall of Famer Tom Landry, who won two Super Bowls with the franchise. He went 250-162 and made the playoffs 18 times in his 29 seasons with the Cowboys, all but eight of which the team finished without a losing record.

The Steelers’ win on Sunday, which came after Russell Wilson threw for a season-high 414 yards and three touchdowns, pushed them to 9-3 on the season. They hold the lead in the AFC North heading into next week’s matchup with the Cleveland Browns, too.

While the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since the 2017 campaign, and it’s been well more than a decade since they’ve lifted the Lombardi trophy, Tomlin always has his team in the mix down the stretch of the season. This fall is no different.