Trick or Treat? Mike Tomlin’s record in the month of October

Being a head coach in the NFL means you will be scrutinized.

Being a head coach in the NFL for 12 seasons means you will be criticized often!

Such is the case of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who always appears to catch the ire of Steelers Nation (i.e. the fans) once football’s regular season rolls around at the beginning of September each year. Once fall is ready to arrive, many are calling for the coach’s job.

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However, the opposite trend begins once Halloween candy is passed out and the month of November is on our doorstep: fans once again turn their attention toward playing for another Super Bowl title.

That’s because Mike Tomlin does a consistent job of making adjustments to his teams in the month of October. The headline of this article jokingly asks our readers if Tomlin’s tenth month of the year is up to snuff and as detailed below, it is!

Date Result Venue Opponent Score
10/7/2007 W Seattle Seahawks 21 – 0
10/21/2007 L @ Denver Broncos 28 – 31
10/28/2007 W @ Cincinnati Bengals 24 – 13
10/5/2008 W @ Jacksonville Jaguars 26 – 21
10/19/2008 W @ Cincinnati Bengals 38 – 10
10/26/2008 L New York Giants 14 – 21
10/4/2009 W San Diego Chargers 38 – 28
10/11/2009 W @ Detroit Lions 28 – 20
10/18/2009 W Cleveland Browns 27 – 14
10/25/2009 W Minnesota Vikings 27 – 17
10/3/2010 L Baltimore Ravens 14 – 17
10/17/2010 W Cleveland Browns 28 – 10
10/24/2010 W @ Miami Dolphins 23 – 22
10/31/2010 L @ New Orleans Saints 10 – 20
10/3/2011 L Baltimore Ravens 14 – 17
10/17/2011 W Cleveland Browns 28 – 10
10/24/2011 W @ Miami Dolphins 23 – 22
10/31/2011 L @ New Orleans Saints 10 – 20
10/3/2012 L Baltimore Ravens 14 – 17
10/17/2012 W Cleveland Browns 28 – 10
10/24/2012 W @ Miami Dolphins 23 – 22
10/31/2012 L @ New Orleans Saints 10 – 20
10/3/2013 L Baltimore Ravens 14 – 17
10/17/2013 W Cleveland Browns 28 – 10
10/24/2013 W @ Miami Dolphins 23 – 22
10/31/2013 L @ New Orleans Saints 10 – 20
10/5/2014 W @ Jacksonville Jaguars 17 – 9
10/12/2014 L @ Cleveland Browns 10 – 31
10/20/2014 W Houston Texans 30 – 23
10/26/2014 W Indianapolis Colts 51 – 34
10/5/2015 W @ Jacksonville Jaguars 17 – 9
10/12/2015 L @ Cleveland Browns 10 – 31
10/20/2015 W Houston Texans 30 – 23
10/26/2015 W Indianapolis Colts 51 – 34
10/2/2016 W Kansas City Chiefs 43 – 14
10/9/2016 W New York Jets 31 – 13
10/16/2016 L @ Miami Dolphins 15 – 30
10/23/2016 L New England Patriots 16 – 27
10/1/2017 W @ Baltimore Ravens 26-9
10/8/2017 L Jacksonville Jaguars 30-Sep
10/15/2017 W @ Kansas City Chiefs 19-13
10/22/2017 W Cincinnati Bengals 29-14
10/7/2018 W Atlanta Falcons 41 – 17
10/14/2018 W @ Cincinnati Bengals 28 – 21
Totals 28-16 0.636
Home 17-7 0.708
Away 11-9 0.55

As you can see, October is definitely Mike Tomlin’s strong suit. Including a 2-0 month so far in 2018, the Steelers current head coach has an overall record of 28-16 when pumpkins are being carved.

As no surprise to his detractors, especially going back to as soon as two or three seasons ago, his road record isn’t the best during this month, posting just a two-win margin away from Heinz Field with an 11-2 away record.

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The lion’s share of his success, as no surprise to anyone reading the above stat, comes at home where the Steelers are 28-16 with Tomlin in charge.

With one more game remaining this month, an AFC North battle at Heinz Field with the Cleveland Browns, history suggests the Steelers should handle business this upcoming Sunday… if for only one reason: the game is being played at home in the month of October!


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