COORS THE BIG I, THAT DRIVE WILL ALSO TAKE YOU ABOUT 12 MINUTES. IF YOU’VE NOTICED CHEAPER GAS AT THE PUMP LATELY, YOU’RE NOT IMAGINING IT. IT’S BEEN NICE TO SEE PRICES ARE NOW AT THEIR LOWEST SINCE MARCH OF 2021, GIVING DRIVERS SOME WELCOME RELIEF. ALYSSA MUNOZ IS LIVE FOR US THIS MORNING WITH A CLOSER LOOK AT WHAT’S DRIVING THIS AND WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT IN THE MONTHS AHEAD. GOOD MORNING ALYSSA. GOOD MORNING. WILL THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR A GALLON OF GAS HAS DROPPED TO 2.73, ACCORDING TO GASBUDDY. NOW THAT’S NEARLY $0.30 LOWER THAN WHAT IT WAS AROUND THIS TIME LAST YEAR. EXPERTS SAY PRICES ARE EXPECTED TO STAY BELOW $3 FOR MOST OF THE SOUTH AND THE GULF COAST. HERE IN NEW MEXICO, PRICES HAVE GONE UP AND DOWN IN RECENT WEEKS. THE STATEWIDE AVERAGE IS NOW 2.53. IN ALBUQUERQUE IT’S $0.01 LESS, AND IN SANTA FE IT’S 245 A GALLON. ANALYSTS SAY SEASONAL DEMAND AND AMPLE FUEL SUPPLIES ARE DRIVING THE OVERALL DROP, THOUGH UNCERTAINTY IN GLOBAL MARKETS, INCLUDING OIL FROM VENEZUELA, COULD AFFECT PRICES IN THE UPCOMING MONTHS. NOW, EXPERTS SAY THEY ARE EXPECTING PRICES TO STAY LOW, BUT THAT COULD ALWAYS CHAN
Gas prices hit lowest levels since March 2021
National average for a gallon of gas dropped to $2.73, according to GasBuddy
Gas prices have reached their lowest point since March 2021, with the national average for a gallon of gas dropping to $2.73, according to GasBuddy.That’s down nearly 30 cents from this time last year. Experts say prices are expected to stay below $3 a gallon for much of the South and Gulf Coast. Here in New Mexico, prices have fluctuated in recent weeks. The statewide average is now $2.53. In Albuquerque, it’s one cent less, and Santa Fe is $2.45 a gallon. 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Analysts say seasonal demand and ample fuel supplies are driving the overall drop, though uncertainty in global markets, including oil from Venezuela, could affect prices in the coming months. For now, experts say prices will stay low, but things could change as oil prices inch higher.
Gas prices have reached their lowest point since March 2021, with the national average for a gallon of gas dropping to $2.73, according to GasBuddy.
That’s down nearly 30 cents from this time last year. Experts say prices are expected to stay below $3 a gallon for much of the South and Gulf Coast. Here in New Mexico, prices have fluctuated in recent weeks. The statewide average is now $2.53. In Albuquerque, it’s one cent less, and Santa Fe is $2.45 a gallon.
Analysts say seasonal demand and ample fuel supplies are driving the overall drop, though uncertainty in global markets, including oil from Venezuela, could affect prices in the coming months. For now, experts say prices will stay low, but things could change as oil prices inch higher.
Mr. Trump said Sunday that Iranian officials had called him looking “to negotiate” after his repeated threats to intervene if authorities kill protesters. In an unusual move, meanwhile, Iran‘s state-controlled media aired video on Sunday showing mass casualties in and outside a morgue in a Tehran suburb.
The video shared widely online shows dozens of bodies outside the morgue, which CBS News has geolocated to the southern Tehran suburb of Kahrizak. The bodies were wrapped in black bags, and people can be seen grieving and searching for their loved ones at the site.
The state TV reporter says in the clip that some of those seen dead may have been involved in violence, but that “the majority of them are ordinary people, and their families are ordinary people as well.”
An image from video posted on social media on Jan. 11, 2026, shows people outside the Kahrizak Forensic Medical Center in Tehran, trying to identify loved ones amid the bodies of dozens killed in a wave of deadly anti-government demonstrations across Iran.
Reuters/Social media
Video posted by social media users on Sunday showed scenes from the same morgue, and people could be heard wailing in the background as others appeared to be looking for loved ones amid the bodies.
It is unclear why Iranian authorities might have chosen to show the mass casualties, but it could be an attempt to show sympathy with the protesters and to bolster their narrative that it is more radical actors, inspired by Mr. Trump’s messages of support, behind the violence, not the government.
President Trump and Iranian officials have escalated their warnings over the past week, with both sides insisting they’re ready for, but not seeking a military confrontation.
On Sunday, however, Mr. Trump said Iran’s leadership had called looking to talk.
“The leaders of Iran called” yesterday, he told reporters Sunday on Air Force One, saying “a meeting is being set up … They want to negotiate.”
“We may have to act before a meeting,” Mr. Trump warned. He first warned 10 days ago that if Iran killed protesters, the U.S. would “come to their rescue,” but he’s yet to say what exactly would prompt some action against the regime, or what that might entail.
A senior U.S. official confirmed to CBS News on Sunday that the president had been briefed on new options for military strikes in Iran, after Mr. Trump warned that if the regime started “killing people like they have in the past, we would get involved.”
“We’ll be hitting them very hard where it hurts,” he said at the White House. “And that doesn’t mean boots on the ground, but it means hitting them very, very hard where it hurts.”
The U.S. has not yet moved any forces in preparation for potential strikes on Iran, officials with the military’s Central Command told CBS News over the weekend.
Iran’s top diplomat claims protests “under total control”
Iran did not confirm any direct outreach to the Trump administration, but speaking on Monday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested the regime had brought the protests under control – repeating the government’s claim that the U.S. was to blame for the violence.
The “situation is now under total control,” Araghchi said, according to the Reuters news agency, as Iranian state TV aired video of massive pro-government demonstrations around the country.
An image from video aired on Jan. 12, 2026 by Iranian state TV, shows a funeral procession for protesters killed in what the network said were “terrorist acts” amid anti-regime protests across the country, in Ardabil, northwest Iran.
Reuters/Iranian state TV
Government-controlled broadcaster IRIB called one demonstration and funeral march an “Iranian uprising against American-Zionist terrorism.”
In the face of Mr. Trump’s repeated threats, Araghchi said Iran was “ready for war, but also for dialogue” with the U.S. at any time.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks on state television amid anti-government protests, in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 12, 2026, in a screengrab obtained from a handout video.
IRIB/Handout/REUTERS
In another indication that the regime may believe it is weathering the storm, the foreign minister said internet service would be resumed in coordination with Iran’s security services, though he offered no specific timeline.
Rights groups say death toll from protests could be in the thousands
According to human rights groups based outside the country, which rely on contacts inside Iran, the death toll has already climbed into the hundreds.
The Washington D.C.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said that, as of Sunday, the 15th day of protests, at least 544 people had been killed, including 483 protesters and 47 members of the security forces. HRANA said the unrest had manifested in 186 cities across all of Iran’s 31 provinces.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), which is also based in the U.S., said over the weekend that it had “eyewitness accounts and credible reports indicating that hundreds of protesters have been killed across Iran during the current internet shutdown,” accusing the regime of carrying out “a massacre.”
The Iran Human Rights (IHR) organization, based in Norway, said Saturday that it had confirmed at least 192 protesters were killed, but that the number could be over 2,000.
“Unverified reports indicate that at least several hundreds, and according to some sources, more than 2,000 people may have been killed,” IHR said in a statement, adding that according to its estimate, more than 2,600 protesters had been arrested.
HRANA estimates that over 10,000 people have been detained.
As the keyboardist and co-founder of Faith No More — and later a driving force behind Imperial Teen, Man on Man, and multiple other projects — Roddy Bottum has built a career on subversion, curiosity, and contradiction. Now, he’s revealing one of the most unlikely chapters of his life story: how a $12,000 investment in Apple stock in the early 1990s quietly turned him into a multi-millionaire.
Bottum discusses the decision in his recently released memoir, The Royal We, published this past November, and expanded on the story during a new appearance on The Hustle: Music & Money podcast. According to Bottum, the investment — made with his first substantial touring paycheck from Faith No More — could be worth more than $7 million today.
The origin story of Bottum‘s Apple windfall is as far from a traditional finance narrative as possible. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, Bottum was immersed in San Francisco’s underground culture.
“Us as kids, me and my crew, were about pushing buttons,” Bottum explained. “And one of those things, believe it or not, was watching the stock market — just ’cause it was so uncool and so ridiculous.”
At the time, Bottum says, following Wall Street was itself an act of provocation. The habit was partly fueled by his first boyfriend, whom Bottum describes as brilliant, volatile, and instrumental in teaching him how to read the market. “He showed me the ropes and taught me how to read the stock market, just ’cause it was fascinating and also because I knew that it was provocative,” Bottum said.
Despite following the market out of irony rather than ambition, Bottum had no real intention of investing — until Faith No More‘s growing success changed his circumstances overnight.
After roughly a year and a half of relentless touring, Bottum received a $12,000 check from the band’s management company — his share of excess earnings. It was, by his own admission, more money than he’d ever seen. “I made $12,000 after touring for probably a year and a half straight,” he said. “My dad was super proud. He couldn’t believe it.”
At the time, Bottum had virtually no expenses. He was living in a studio apartment in San Francisco, paying no rent, still working as a bicycle messenger, and about to head back out on the road. With no immediate need for the money, his boyfriend convinced him to take a leap. “The insane bipolar boyfriend convinced me to just take that $12,000 check and buy Apple stock with it,” Bottum recalled.
This was Apple at its lowest point — years before Steve Jobs‘ return, decades before the iPhone, and long before the company became the most valuable corporation in the world. Bottum bought the stock and did the unthinkable: he left it alone.
In The Royal We, Bottum openly acknowledges how surreal the outcome was and how hesitant he felt about including the story at all. Friends, publishers, and even his partner questioned whether it belonged in the book. “I’m not bragging about it,” Bottum said. “Honestly, it was like winning the lottery. It was just the craziest thing.”
Naturally, the revelation raises a familiar question: does being financially set remove the urgency to create? Bottum doesn’t shy away from the reality that wealth has given him freedom — but he firmly rejects the idea that it’s dulled his creative drive. “There’s not an urgency to make money, I guess. I have that cushion. That’s a luxury,” he admitted. “But I make music every day.”
Bottum remains extraordinarily active. Imperial Teen have just completed a new album that’s currently being mixed. He’s starting a new record with Crickets in New York, planning another Man on Man album, and continuing to release music at a prolific pace. “I don’t make music for money,” he said. “And I haven’t written this book for the want for money. That’s not my motivation.”
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Wild Card Weekend of the 2026 NFL playoffs will conclude with a ‘Monday Night Football’ contest between the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers. Houston (12-5) is riding a league-high nine-game win streak and is the No. 5 seed in the AFC after finishing second in its division. Pittsburgh (10-7) has won four of its last five, including a winner-take-all game on Sunday night to claim the AFC North and the conference’s No. 4 seed. This will be the first-ever postseason matchup between the franchises.
Kickoff is at 8:15 p.m. ET from Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. The Texans won the last meeting in the 2023 season. Houston is a 3-point favorite in the latest Texans vs. Steelers odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 38.5. Before locking in any Steelers vs. Texans picks, make sure to check out the ‘Monday Night Football’ predictions from SportsLine NFL expert R.J. White.
New users can target the DraftKings promo code, which offers $300 in bonus bets if your bet wins to bet on props like Aaron Rodgers over 1.5 passing touchdowns:
White, a Fantasy and gambling editor for CBS Sports, consistently crushes against-the-spread picks and has gone 718-623-37 on his ATS picks from 2017-24, which returned more than $3,200 to $100 players. White also has a strong read on the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is an outstanding 37-20-1 (+1455) on his last 58 against-the-spread picks in Pittsburgh games. Anybody following his NFL betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.
Winners of nine straight, the Texans are facing a Steelers team with its own streak. However, it’s a losing one for Pittsburgh, which has lost six straight postseason games. Houston owns the No. 1 total defense and No. 2 scoring defense, while it also ranks second-best in the league in turnover differential (+17). The Texans truly have no weak links on defense, as they are the only squad that ranks among the top six in both stopping the run and defending the pass. Meanwhile, the offense is playing its best entering the 2026 NFL playoffs as C.J. Stroud and company are averaging 30.3 points over their last four, compared to 21.8 points over their first 13 games. See which team to back at SportsLine.
Bet on Stroud going over 234.5 passing yards at DraftKings:
Why the Steelers can win
The Steelers are facing a Texans franchise which is 0-6 in road playoff games all-time, making Houston the only NFL team to never win a postseason road game. Pittsburgh also has a streak which makes Houston’s nine-game win streak pale in comparison, as the Steelers have won an astounding 23 straight home games on Monday nights. This Steelers team ranks in the top five in both turnover differential and in sack differential, making it one of two NFL teams that can make that claim. Pittsburgh will welcome back D.K. Metcalf from suspension, and he has four touchdowns over his last two playoff games. On the other hand, offense is clearly Houston’s weakness as only three teams average fewer yards per carry, and just two teams have a worst redzone conversion percentage. See which team to back at SportsLine.
Bet Jaylen Warren to go over 69.5 rushing + receiving yards at DraftKings:
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – WalletHub released its recent study on the best and worst states to raise a family in the U.S. Things like safety, job opportunities, access to education and healthcare all factor in to WalletHub’s rankings. The study compared all 50 states across 50 different key metrics. According to WalletHub, New Mexico ranked as […]
NUUK, Greenland — China said Monday that the United States shouldn’t use other countries as a “pretext” to pursue its interests in Greenland and said that its activities in the Arctic comply with international law.
The comment by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson came in response to a question at a regular daily briefing. U.S. President Donald Trump has said that he would like to make a deal to acquire Greenland, a semiautonomous region of NATO ally Denmark, to prevent Russia or China from taking it over.
Tensions have grown between Washington, Denmark and Greenland this month as Trump and his administration push the issue and the White House considers a range of options, including military force, to acquire the vast Arctic island.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an American takeover of Greenland would mark the end of NATO. On Friday, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and the leaders of the four other parties in the territory’s parliament issued a joint statement reiterating that Greenland’s future must be decided by its people and emphasizing their “wish that the United States’ contempt for our country ends.”
Trump reiterated his argument that the U.S. needs to “take Greenland,” otherwise Russia or China would, in comments aboard Air Force One on Sunday. He said he’d rather “make a deal” for the territory, “but one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.”
China in 2018 declared itself a “near-Arctic state” in an effort to gain more influence in the region. Beijing has also announced plans to build a “Polar Silk Road” as part of its global Belt and Road Initiative, which has created economic links with countries around the world.
Asked in Beijing Monday about U.S. statements that it is necessary for Washington to take over Greenland to prevent China and Russia from taking control, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning replied that “China’s activities in the Arctic are aimed at promoting peace, stability, and sustainable development in the region and are in accordance with international law.” She didn’t elaborate on those activities.
“The rights and freedoms of all countries to conduct activities in the Arctic in accordance with the law should be fully respected,” Mao said, without mentioning Greenland directly. “The U.S. should not pursue its own interests by using other countries as a pretext.”
She said that “the Arctic concerns the overall interests of the international community.”
Danish and Greenlandic envoys are expected in Washington this week for talks, and plans are also being put together for U.S. senators to visit Denmark.
A bill has been filed to rename 2 different bridges and one roadway in Oklahoma after the late, great country music icon, Toby Keith.
According to KSWO-TV, Republican Oklahoma State Senator Lisa Standridge has filed Senate Bill 1475, which would name the bridge over Interstate 35 and Indian Hills Road in Norman, Oklahoma the “Toby Keith Memorial Bridge.”
It would also change the name to Toby Keith Memorial Interchange should a new bridge or interchange be built at the same location later. Adding this to the bill makes sure that the namesake will always stick, no matter what future construction projects might occur there.
The bill also seeks to name a potential future spur from Indian Hills Road to I-35 to connect to Interstate 44 the “Toby Keith Parkway.”
Here is where I get extra excited. If a plan that has been spoken about already in the past comes to fruition, which is to build a bridge over the Canadian River from the above mentioned potential spur, that would be named the “Should’ve Been a Cowboy Bridge,” after Keith’s first major hit.
What City Was Toby Keith Born?
Toby Keith was born in Clinton, Oklahoma, which is about 120 miles from the location of the bridge that could be renamed in his honor.
Senate Bill 1475 also looks to create some sort of method for Oklahomans to contribute to the creation of artwork, like graffiti and such, on any new bridge or interchange on the potential Toby Keith Parkway.
That could get a little squirrelly though. If you remember Jason Aldean‘s hometown mural in Macon, Georgia, that did not go as planned.
The bill also states that Keith’s family would additionally have the ability to commission artwork to honor his legacy.
Let’s take a look back at some Iconic Keith songs.
Toby Keith’s 25 Best Songs Prove He’s a Country Icon
Toby Keith reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart 20 times during his 30-plus year career, but some of this best songs were deep cuts.
Here are his greatest hits — the top songs from 19 studio albums and beyond.
Toby Keith died on Feb. 5, 2024 after a two-year battle with stomach cancer.
Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
22 Photos of Toby Keith Young
Toby Keith was one of the most influential artists in country music history, with a career spanning from the mid 1990s all the way until his death in 2024. Let’s take a walk back in time and see pictures of Toby Keith young.
Brooke Pryor is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2019. She previously covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and the University of Oklahoma for The Oklahoman.
PITTSBURGH — As Cameron Heyward crossed the gold end zone and headed for the home tunnel after warmups Sunday night in Week 18, a handful of former Pittsburgh Steelers waited for him.
One by one, they enveloped the 36-year-old defensive tackle in back-thumping hugs as he waded through the crowd of well-wishers.
Among the throng of Steelers alumni were former defensive end Brett Keisel and former running back Jerome Bettis, two of the franchise’s all-time greats with three Super Bowl trophies, four AFC championships, 19 playoff wins and numerous individual accolades between them.
With his lengthy list of individual accolades, including a second-team AP All-Pro nod for the 2025 season, Heyward is already a future franchise legend. But sitting at the dais after clinching the AFC North a week ago, Heyward admitted he was jealous of those former Steelers.
It’s why he spurned the divisional championship garb, instead placing the hat on the table in front of him after helping the Steelers to their ninth playoff berth in his 15-year career.
“I wasn’t putting on the hat for a reason,” Heyward said. “I want a different hat.
“… I’ve been instilled by a lot of great players here. I learned from a lot of just special players, Troy [Polamalu], Brett [Keisel], Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, shoot, guys I didn’t even play with like Joey Porter. They’ve all been in my ear. And even when I didn’t want to hear it, they were honest with me. … I’m just honestly jealous of them. They have something that I don’t have, and when they all come back for their reunions, I want to be able to have some hardware one day.”
With a 1-8 playoff record since being drafted No. 31 in 2011, Heyward understands the franchise’s playoff futility better than most of his teammates. It’s why, as happy as he was to punch a ticket to the postseason with the wild Week 18 win against the Baltimore Ravens, he is far from satisfied.
He didn’t come this far just to come this far. Neither did coach Mike Tomlin.
For the 53-year-old head coach and his longest-tenured player, beating the No. 5 seed Houston Texans on Monday night (8:15 ET, ABC/ESPN) to finally win a playoff game might not satisfy an increasingly restless fanbase with sky-high expectations, but it would stop a painful skid, solidify Tomlin’s future in Pittsburgh and be the first step in returning to a standard the franchise hasn’t upheld in nearly a decade.
“We’re AFC North champions,” Tomlin said after the Week 18 win. “And that sounds good, and it feels good. But we didn’t come here for that. We came here for what lies ahead.”
Nearly a decade has passed since a Tomlin-coached Steelers team advanced past the first weekend of the playoffs. The Steelers’ last postseason victory came in the divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs in January 2017 after Pittsburgh beat the Miami Dolphins in the wild-card game. A week later, the Steelers were blown out against the New England Patriots in the AFC title game 36-17.
Tomlin’s teams haven’t won a playoff game in eight seasons. No coach in franchise history has gone nine seasons without a postseason victory. Ahead of Monday’s game, Tomlin acknowledged that the playoff-win drought wasn’t a burden this year’s team should carry.
“Quite frankly, most of these men don’t care about the last whatever years that you mentioned,” Tomlin said. “Most of them are new to us. And so that’s where my focus is. I’m certainly not going to unpack my bags on the collective’s bed, if you will. I’m excited about doing it, doing it this week with this collective.”
Heyward’s last playoff win is even more distant than the team’s last postseason victory. Injured before the 2016 postseason, Heyward was sidelined during the Steelers’ wins against the Chiefs and Dolphins. The last — and only — time he played in a postseason victory was an 18-16 win against the Cincinnati Bengals in the wild-card round Jan. 9, 2016. He recorded a sack and four quarterback hits in that win. The Steelers lost 23-16 a week later to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round.
And though Heyward, Tomlin and the few others who’ve been around for the bulk of the Steelers’ postseason losing streak insist it doesn’t matter to the current locker room, younger players have been vocal that they want to win for guys like Heyward, one of Pittsburgh’s four captains this season. “It’s one thing to want to do it for yourself, but when you get that connection, that brotherhood that we’ve developed throughout the years, it’s way better when you fight for somebody else — and that guy deserves a lot,” third-year defensive lineman Keeanu Benton said of Heyward. “So, I’m going to give it all I got, and I feel like our defense and offense, and our team feels the same way.”
But if the 2025 Steelers feel the weight of their franchise’s near-decade stretch of playoff futility, they haven’t shown it in the week leading up to Monday night’s wild-card meeting with the Texans.
Instead, the locker room inside the Steelers’ practice facility has been loose and full of energy.
A miniature basketball hoop on the side of quarterback Will Howard‘s locker has been a hotspot of increasingly boisterous activity. Since the hoop went up four weeks ago, singular shotmaking competitions have turned into rowdy games of knockout as the mini basketballs multiplied, and a yellow-taped free throw line appeared on the black carpet.
Other games have sprung up around the locker room this week, too, as some gathered to shoot dice before the team walk-through and others roughhoused after practice.
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Tomlin to Eisen: We’re excited to have DK Metcalf back
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin joins Rich Eisen and talks about what DK Metcalf’s absence meant for the team.
At Aaron Rodgers‘ direction during Friday’s practice, the quarterbacks and running backs hoisted assistant equipment manager Kyle Powers onto their shoulders and chanted, “Rudy! Rudy!” to celebrate Powers’ birthday.
But don’t mistake the looseness — at least by players’ perspectives — for being unfocused or unprepared.
“It’s important that when the game’s on the line, and there’s big-play opportunities, that you’re looking at the guy in the eyes who you’ve gone through a lot with, whether that’s just hanging out in the cafeteria for breakfast club or that’s shooting basketball hoops or whatever it is,” said T.J. Watt, who hasn’t won a playoff game since he was selected No. 30 in the 2017 NFL draft.
“We have guys that genuinely hang out inside and outside of the building. We work out together, we do everything together. It’s been a real treat to see us grow together. And when we’re in those tough situations, nobody’s blinking, nobody’s nervous or panicking. We just have confidence in each other.”
The vibe shift of the locker room didn’t just happen in the week between the regular and postseason. Instead, running back Kenneth Gainwell said he has noticed it building over the past six weeks as the team rebounded from a 6-6 record and rallied after fans called for Tomlin to be fired during the Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
“The offense started picking it up,” Gainwell said. “Defense started picking it up, so we knew we had to do it. Just getting into the playoffs made everybody smile.”
Perhaps, then, it’s not a coincidence that the Steelers finished the last stretch of the season 4-1.
“To me, I think if you’re uptight, your team can make mistakes,” said Gainwell, the team’s 2025 MVP who also won last year’s Super Bowl as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. “You don’t want to make mistakes. You want to be free. You want to go out there and have fun. That would come with the game. I’m happy to see everybody around here with high energy. It just shows that we’re willing to go out there and get a win and do what we have to do, small things.”
Smiles are nice, but they’re not enough. Not for Tomlin, not for Heyward, not for a franchise with six Super Bowls — the last one in 2008.
As the organization nears 15 years since its last Super Bowl appearance — coincidentally a loss to a Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers team — and 17 years since the franchise won its sixth Lombardi Trophy, fan unrest has seemingly never been higher.
Prominent former players like 2008 Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison have publicly speculated that it might be time for Tomlin to move on. And yet, with Tomlin still under contract through at least the 2026 season with a club option decision for 2027 due in March, there is nothing to suggest that the organization with just three head coaches since 1969 will break from precedent and move on from its head coach, no matter how loud the outside noise gets. If Tomlin isn’t on the sideline in Pittsburgh next season, it will seemingly be of his own volition.
Like his head coach, Rodgers also seemingly controls his destiny. Though he told “The Pat McAfee Show” in June that he was “pretty sure” the 2025 season would be his last after signing a one-year, $13.65 million contract with the Steelers, Rodgers recently didn’t rule out playing another season.
“I’m thinking about this week, but obviously, I’m 42 years old, and I’m on a one-year deal,” he said Dec. 31. “So, you know what the situation is. Whenever the season ends, I’ll be a free agent. So, that’ll give me a lot of options if I still want to play. I mean, not a lot of options, but there’ll be options, I would think, maybe one or two, if I decide I still want to play.”
Rodgers’ last playoff appearance was a 13-10 wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers in January 2022, and his overall playoff record (12-10) is better than that of his head coach (8-11). Rodgers’ last playoff win came in January 2021 with a 32-18 win against the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round.
But before the Steelers can dream of more or the franchise’s focal figures consider their futures, they have to survive Monday night and advance to a place few of them have been.
“The main focus is trying to win a game,” Heyward said. “Can’t control what’s happened in the past. My goal is to try to win the game now. And that’s all we can control. I think worrying about what’s happened in the past doesn’t do anybody any good. But we got to play our best ball now.”
