The Pittsburgh Steelers will see a familiar face when they take on the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on Sunday, as former coach Mike Tomlin will be present at the venue.
Tomlin will be on-site as a studio analyst for NBC's coverage of the matchup. He will be alongside Maria Taylor, Jason Garrett, and Devin McCourty. It is the first time Tomlin will be covering the Steelers since moving to broadcasting.
The 54-year-old Tomlin stepped down as coach of the Steelers in January after calling the shots for 19 seasons, leading them to the championship in 2009.
His replacement, coach Mike McCarthy, said he is excited to catch up with Tomlin in Week 10.
“I'm really happy for Mike. I'm trying not to laugh because I've never seen him smile so much. I'm told he's very happy. He's doing a great job. So I definitely hope to run into him there in Cincinnati,” said McCarthy in the video posted by ESPN's Brooke Pryor.
Mike McCarthy said he’s never seen Mike Tomlin smile so much, and he’s looking forward to catching up with the former Steelers HC in Cincinnati pic.twitter.com/WnSY5rfifL
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) November 11, 2026
McCarthy has steered the Steelers to a 6-2 record. The game against the Bengals, who also have a 6-2 record, will decide who gets the solo lead in the AFC North.
While McCarthy is more focused on getting the win, he probably wants to leave a good impression on his predecessor as well, especially since Tomlin has been quite blunt with his observations.
The game is expected to be an explosive one, with Aaron Rodgers, Jaylen Warren, and DK Metcalf going up against Joe Burrow, Chase Brown, and Tee Higgins.
According to ESPN Analytics, the Bengals are favored to win against the Steelers by 70.4%.