The Pittsburgh Steelers are not in a good way. Pittsburgh, which started the season off promisingly, has lost five of its last seven games and now sits on the outside looking in of the current AFC playoff picture.

Things are going so poorly at the moment that legendary quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suggested recently that it may be time for the franchise to move on from its partnership with longtime head coach Mike Tomlin, with whom he won a Super Bowl as a player.

“Maybe it’s a clean-house time. Maybe it’s time,” Roethlisberger said in a Tuesday episode of his “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger” podcast. “I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin, but maybe it’s best for him, too.

“Maybe a fresh start for him is what’s best. Whether that’s in the pros, maybe go be Penn State’s head coach. You know what he would do in Penn State? He would probably go win national championships, because he’s a great recruiter.”

“Ask Aaron.”

Pittsburgh’s last game, an embarassing 26-7 home loss to the Buffalo Bills, felt like a new low for the franchise, with the offense and defense both being thoroughly outclassed. After the game, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who finished the game just 10/21 for a mere 117  yards after being brought in this offseason to help turn the franchise around, felt like the proper practice habits were lacking from his teammates during the week leading up to the game.

“I thought we had a better preparation week and a poor practice week… I’m not sure if it was cold weather or what it was, but it wasn’t our best week of practice,” Rodgers said, per Steelers reporter Nick Farabaugh.

Steelers star defensive tackle Cam Heyward, the longest tenured player on Pittsburgh’s active roster, was asked about Rodgers’ comments, but rather than back up his quarterback, Heyward left the four-time MVP out to dry.

“Ask Aaron,” he said.

Aaron Rodgers said the energy and tempo were not good this week. He said it was not a good week of preparation. I asked Cam Heyward about Rodgers’ comments at midweek about the lack of focus. His response: “Ask Aaron.”

— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) December 1, 2025

Rodgers also floated after the loss that his pass catchers may not have been in all the film sessions, leading to the lack of chemistry that was evident on Sunday.

I asked Aaron Rodgers about the lack of chemistry between Steelers pass catchers and himself, and how to fix it. His full answer:

"When there's film sessions, everybody shows up. When I check to a route, you do the right route. Like Jonnu and I just weren't on the same page." pic.twitter.com/aeky1r55eA

— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) December 1, 2025

However, tight end Pat Freiermuth pushed back on the idea.

“Everyone shows up and everyone contributes in a positive manner. I think he was just more so talking about being on the same page with signals and stuff. We don’t have an issue with guys not showing up,” he said, according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.

Whatever the issue is for the Steelers, there’s still time to figure things out and win the AFC North, thereby punching a ticket to the playoffs, but they’re running out of it fast.