TribLIVE columnist Mark Madden weighed in on what he called another “classic Steelers collapse” on December 27, and he blamed head coach Mike Tomlin for the losing streak.

“Nobody should be surprised [that the Steelers fell flat against the Chiefs],” Madden wrote. “It’s a truth that’s been there all along hiding in plain sight. This is exactly what figured to happen.

“The Steelers have a flawed roster. The Steelers are poorly coached. This is the fourth time in the past six years that the Steelers have lost three straight in December. It’s the fifth time in the past seven years that the Steelers have lost three straight after Thanksgiving. That’s because other teams improve over the course of a season. The Steelers don’t.”

Madden went on to label the Steelers’ coaching staff “stooges and yes-men” that report back to Tomlin. Adding that Tomlin himself has “no nuance to his coaching.”

“The Steelers just show up, play like the Steelers and hope that’s good enough,” he continued later. Criticizing their drafting, wasting of recent first-round picks and Tomlin’s above-.500 streak — which he described as hollow.

“The Steelers’ philosophy of football is outdated,” Madden said, rounding out his rant. “They’re diesel fuel in a high-octane era. The Steelers emphasize running the ball and defense. But they’re bad at the former, overrated at the latter.”

“No playoff wins in seven years. Three in 13,” he concluded. “But Tomlin is a great coach. Just because. The Steelers are a great organization. Just because. Results don’t matter. Evidence gets ignored. Every franchise wants to be like the Steelers. Except the good ones.”

With everyone melting down around Pittsburgh, it will be on team leaders like Tomlin and Heyward to change the narrative. That shift must begin in Week 18.