Mike Tomlin, Steelers equal Cowboys’ NFL record with 21st undefeated season

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

With a 44-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the longtime Pittsburgh Steelers coach secured another season in which his team will finish .500 or better on Sunday afternoon. This was the 21st consecutive season in team history without a losing record, which is an NFL record. The Dallas Cowboys achieved the same feat from 1965 to 1985.

The last time the Steelers had a losing season was 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 defeated the Seattle Seahawks to win the Super Bowl and close out the 2005 season. Cower ended his career with the Steelers after going 8-8 in 2006.

Tomlin took over in 2007 and has never finished worse than 8-8, a mark he has only achieved three times. He led the team to its sixth Super Bowl victory in his second season with the franchise and reached the playoffs 11 times in his 17 seasons in Pittsburgh. Tomlin is the league’s longest-serving active head coach.

The Cowboys completed 21 consecutive seasons of .500 or better under Hall of Famer Tom Landry, who won two Super Bowls with the franchise. He posted a 250-162 record and made the playoffs 18 times in his 29 seasons with the Cowboys, with the team finishing undefeated all but eight times.

The Steelers’ victory on Sunday, which came after Russell Wilson rushed for a season-high 414 yards and three touchdowns, moved them to 9-3 on the season. They are also at the top of the AFC North heading into next week’s game against the Cleveland Browns.

Even though the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since the 2017 season and it’s been well over a decade since they hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, Tomlin has kept his team in mind throughout the season . This fall is no different.