Mike McCarthy will coach his first official regular-season game with the Steelers on Sunday, September 13, 2026, against the Atlanta Falcons. But one NFL analyst already believes he falls well short of the standard set by predecessor Mike Tomlin.

Speaking on the NFL on ESPN, analyst Kevin Clark said McCarthy is "not anywhere close" to Tomlin as a head coach.

 "You add in the fact that Mike Tomlin is leaving, and Mike McCarthy is not anywhere close to Mike Tomlin as a coach in my book," said Clark.

Clark pointed out that Tomlin leaves behind one of the strongest resumes of any modern NFL coach. He is a Super Bowl champion (2008) and has a 62.8 win percentage. He also never posted a losing season during his 19-year tenure.

Clark argued on YouTube @ESPNNFL that replacing Tomlin with McCarthy represents a solid downgrade at head coach.

McCarthy, meanwhile, has had only one playoff win since 2017. His career record is strong at 174-112-2, and he won a Super Bowl title in 2010. Yet ever since his firing by the Green Bay Packers, his results have declined.

Clark believes replacing Tomlin's leadership will be one of Pittsburgh's biggest challenges this season.

Clark also questioned whether McCarthy could replicate Tomlin's leadership and long-term consistency.

While Clark remains skeptical, others believe McCarthy still has an opportunity to prove his critics wrong.

Mike McCarthy's below-par track record against top coaches is a concern

Pittsburgh is also transitioning to a different coaching philosophy. From a defensive-minded Mike Tomlin to an attacking-minded Mike McCarthy. However, McCarthy has been prone to struggling against big coaches.

According to Baron Dionis of Steelers Nation, McCarthy has a career record below 50% against top coaches. That is a difficult statistic to go by. Despite training top players like Dak Prescott, Brett Favre, and a young Aaron Rodgers, he will now be leading a much older Rodgers on his team.

His last season saw McCarthy end with a losing season (7-10) for the Dallas Cowboys, and that has to change if the Steelers are to flip the narrative.

Despite the odds stacked against him, former Steelers player Merril Hoge thinks McCarthy just might be the fourth consecutive head coach to win the Super Bowl, as he claimed on the Straight Facts Homie podcast.

"What they're doing, it's in the right direction," said Hoge," It was the things that are needed; it's a different energy, a better energy, a better energy that was needed. And McCarthy has brought that."

McCarthy enters the season facing significant expectations, with analysts split on whether he can successfully follow Tomlin's long tenure. His performance in 2026 will ultimately determine which view proves correct.

What are your thoughts on Mike McCarthy coaching in the 2026 season? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Sourav Ganguly

Edited by

Rudra Dubey