Since being hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2007, Mike Tomlin has been one of the best coaches in the NFL, but if there's one thing he has struggled with, it's getting his team prepared to play a Thursday night game on the road.
In his 18 years on the job, Tomlin has been the coach for a total of 10 Thursday night road games and in those games, the Steelers have gone 2-8. Tomlin actually won his first Thursday night road game as Steelers coach in 2007, but he's gone just 1-8 since then. Over the past five years, the Steelers have gone 0-3 in Thursday night road games and they'll be looking to end that streak in Week 12 when they travel to Cleveland to face the Browns.
The fact that they're facing the Browns is notable because the Steelers have been extra bad when they're playing a divisional rival on the road in a Thursday night game. As a matter of fact, the Steelers have NEVER won a game in that situation.
Over the past 44 years, the Steelers have played a total of seven divisional road games on Thursday night and they've gone 0-7 in those games, which includes going 0-5 under Tomlin.
Opponent | Score | Date |
Steelers at Oilers (AFC Central) | Oilers 6-0 over Steelers | Dec. 4, 1980 |
Steelers at Jaguars (AFC Central) | Jaguars 20-6 over Steelers | Dec. 2, 1999 |
Steelers at Browns (AFC North) | Browns 13-6 over Steelers | Dec. 10, 2009 |
Steelers at Ravens (AFC North) | Ravens 22-20 over Steelers | Nov. 28, 2013 |
Steelers at Ravens (AFC North) | Ravens 26-6 over Steelers | Sept. 11, 2014 |
Steelers at Browns (AFC North) | Browns 21-7 over Steelers | Nov. 14, 2019 |
Steelers at Browns (AFC North) | Browns 29-17 over Steelers | Sept. 22, 2022 |
No player on the current roster was born the last time the Steelers won a road Thursday game against a divisional opponent and Tomlin was just 8 years old.
Not only are the Steelers 0-7 in these games, but they're also 1-6 against the spread. Basically, betting on the Steelers in this situation has been a surefire way to lose money over the past 44 years.
Overall, the Steelers are 4-14 in Thursday night road games since 1980, but all four of those wins came against non-divisional opponents.
Although the Steelers are 8-2 this season, they're favored by just 3.5 points over the hapless Browns, who will be going into the game with a 2-8 record. The Steelers might feel like a safe bet in the game, but as history has shown, they're never a safe bet when they're on the road against a divisional opponent on a Thursday night.