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Some NFL pundits argued Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin saved his job by winning the AFC North title at the end of the regular season. But after a putrid offensive performance at home against the Houston Texans in the AFC wild card round, Tomlin’s future appears mirky again.Following the 30-6 loss to the Texans, Tomlin addressed his future but didn’t confirm anything either way.“I’m not even in that mindset as I sit here tonight,” Tomlin told reporters. “I’m more in the mindset of what transpired in this stadium and certainly what we did and didn’t do.“Not a big picture mentality as I sit here tonight.”The Steelers didn’t do a whole lot on offense. They needed garbage time to avoid posting the lowest yardage output in Steelers playoff history. As it was, the unit’s 175 yards Monday night was the lowest for Pittsburgh in a playoff game during the Super Bowl era.The lack of yardage led to Tomlin’s offense facing third-and-long most of the night. The Steelers converted 2 of 14 third-down attempts.Because he’s a defensive-minded and culture-building head coach, Tomlin often escapes criticism when the Steelers offense plays poorly. But with this performance coming in primetime, at home, during the playoffs, Tomlin will very likely, and deservedly, receive criticism.Steelers Suffer Seventh Straight Playoff Loss Under Mike TomlinMonday’s game started differently for the Steelers than the franchise’s recent playoff contests. Tomlin’s club didn’t find themselves in a major hole by the end of the first quarter.But the end result was the same. Last year, it was an embarrassing defensive effort in a playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens. This year, the embarrassment was on offense.The Texans outgained the Steelers 408-175. Furthermore, Houston scored two defensive touchdowns while Pittsburgh didn’t reach the end zone.The Steelers averaged just 3.1 yards per play and 2.9 yards per pass. They also allowed four sacks.Quarterback Aaron Rodgers went 17 of 33 for 146 yards with an interception. Rodgers also lost a fumble on a sack.Simply put, the Steelers offense didn’t do anything to support their defense. By the fourth quarter, the Pittsburgh defense was gassed.With the defeat, the Steelers have now lost seven straight playoff games dating back to January 2017. Six of those seven losses were by double digits.Tomlin Could Face Uncertain FutureBefore Monday’s game, there was a lot of chatter in the media about Tomlin and the Steelers potentially parting ways. However, not a whole lot of the talk was very substantial.The talk, though, is going to continue and get very loud until Tomlin confirms his 2026 plans.The Steelers signed the head coach to a contract extension during the summer of 2024. The deal runs through the 2027 season.However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported in December the final year of the contract is a club option. The Steelers must decide on March 1 if they are going to pick up that year in the contract.If the team doesn’t, then Tomlin would enter 2026 as a lame duck coach.This could potentially pave a road for the two sides to mutually part ways. In the past, there’s been rumors about the possibility of the Steelers trading Tomlin. Knowing the NFL offseason rumor mill, trade talk could ramp up around the Steelers coach as well.Tomlin has posted a 193-114-2 regular season record with the Steelers in 19 campaigns. He’s tied with Chuck Noll for the most regular season wins in franchise history.Early in his career, he led the Steelers to two AFC championships and a Super Bowl title. But with Monday’s loss, Tomlin fell to 8-12 in the postseason. Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post Mike Tomlin Reacts to Question on Steelers Future After Latest Postseason Loss appeared first on Heavy Sports.

The Memphis Grizzlies are working hard to move Ja Morant and give both parties a fresh start as his era leading the franchise reaches the end. Morant showed unhappiness earlier in the season with comments criticizing the coaching staff. Memphis suspending Morant showed they were growing sick of his attitude, but a few more months added more clarity for change.NBA reporter Tim MacMahon shared more details on ESPN about how bad the situation is right now:“Ja Morant has already had a very loud, ugly confrontation with their rookie coach. Everybody in that arena, much less the locker room, knows they want to get rid of him. And the feeling is mutual. It’s reached a point where Ja Morant’s career cannot continue in Memphis.”Wording as strong as “Morant’s career cannot continue in Memphis” adds more certainty that a move will be made within the next month. MacMahon’s sources believe that Morant can’t return to the team due to both sides and unbiased teammates all seeing the writing on the wall. Memphis hopes to get any talent back to improve their long-term future as they give up on their current best player.Ja Morant’s Trade Value Is Extremely LowMacMahon added more information about the Morant trade market via both what the Grizzlies want and what the reality appears to be. Most teams interested in Morant are not looking to easily give up their best assets due to how poor he’s played this season and everyone knowing Memphis wants to move him quickly.“Shams reported that the Grizzlies are looking for young players and multiple picks for Ja,” MacMahon said on Hoop Collective. “Good luck with that. Because the feedback that we got on Ja wasn’t any more favorable than the feedback that we got on Trae. As a matter of fact, in some cases, it was even worse.”The belief that Morant’s value is equal or even worse to Trae Young is a bad sign for the Grizzlies. All the Atlanta Hawks received from Young is CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert with no draft picks coming back their way. Memphis having more hostility towards Morant could cause their haul to be quite lackluster.What Ended Ja Morant’s Memphis LoveThe drama surrounding Morant feels more like an accumulation of multiple negative seasons of stories progressing negatively. Morant’s suspension for waving a gun on social media a few years ago after multiple other off-court issues put a brighter spotlight on his career moving forward.More injuries to limit his time on the court and the recent butting of heads with management has ruined the relationship. Memphis hoped that Morant would step up as a leader after his prior history, but his issues with the coaching staff showed the issues were growing larger.Morant was not happy with having a lesser role in the offense and even questioned losing love for basketball. Memphis and Morant having such a public falling out into a divorce had the entire NBA world watching. Other teams know that Morant wants out, and the Grizzlies are in a rough trade market thanks to it. Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post Ja Morant’s Ugly Ending With Grizzlies Further Explained appeared first on Heavy Sports.