Can the Steelers snap their playoff losing streak?
The Pittsburgh Steelers have once again secured a winning season and a coveted spot in the NFL playoffs. However, for Steelers Nation, the end of the season represents a growing trend of .500 level teams that can’t breakthrough as a serious contender.
Pittsburgh’s recent four-game losing streak as they head to Baltimore to face a vaunted division rival in the Ravens, echoes a concerning trend – their inability to win a game in the playoffs.
The Steelers are one of the most successful teams in NFL history, but their recent history of floundering in the playoffs means their odds of success are lengthy. Many people are wondering whether the Steelers could finally buck the trend, starting a massive surge in online betting in Australia, despite the team being listed as 10-point underdogs to the Ravens.
The Steelers haven’t won a postseason game since the 2016 season, when they made it all the way to the AFC Championship game, only to fall short in a blowout to the New England Patriots. Since, Pittsburgh has made the playoffs in 2017, 2020, 2021, and 2023, only to suffer defeat in each of those appearances.
There was a general sense of optimism that this could be the year they snap their playoff drought, but recent results have opened the door for doubts to creep in.
A season of highs and lows
The 2024 season has presented itself as a challenging one for the Steelers. The start of their season saw their potential starting quarterback Russell Wilson sidelined with an injury. In his absence, Justin Fields, a failed former first round draft pick of the Chicago Bears, led the team to a 4-2 record. That’s when Wilson took the reigns and the team began to soar to new heights, winning five-straight games, including a home stand against their upcoming opponent, the Ravens.
The shine started to come off when the team traveled on a short week to face the 2-8 Cleveland Browns. That loss would be a catalyst of things to come, as a shootout with the Cincinnati Bengals and a return matchup with the Browns set the team back on a two-game win streak.
Up next would be the toughest schedule anyone has laid eyes on, as the Steelers would have to face the 11-2 Philadelphia Eagles and have a rematch with the Ravens, both on the road, before hosting a 14-1 Kansas City Chiefs team at home: with all three games played with an 11-day span.
Despite losing their first game in Philadelphia, a place the Steelers haven’t won in since 1965, Pittsburgh was still guaranteed a postseason spot as the Indianapolis Colts and Miami Dolphins seasons started to fall apart. Yet, the three-game stand would prove to all be losses, with a fourth-straight defeat coming in the final week of the season at the hands of the Bengals.
Can they turn it around?
One of the biggest talking points from the Steelers’ end-of-season struggles has been the performance – or lack thereof – of quarterback Russell Wilson. However, the criticism from fans, analysts and even NFL Hall of Fame alumni has been unwarranted.
Although Wilson has turned the ball over, the Steelers offensive woes can’t be attributed to only the quarterback. The Steelers were without their top receiving target, George Pickens, during the main stretch of their losing streak. Over the course of those four losses, the defense was also without several of their bread winners. Defensive starters DeShon Elliott, Joey Porter Jr., Donte Jackson, and Larry Ogunjobi all missed time, while T.J. Watt was less than 100%, playing through an ankle sprain.
Some of the more egregious yinzers have overlooked that the team was missing as much as half of their starting defense playing against three of the NFL’s top offenses. Thus, the calls to fire Mike Tomlin or start backup quarterback Justin FIelds are hyperbole. With Fields running the offense, the Steelers were unable to defeat the Colts or Cowboys, two teams that failed to make the postseason.
The Fields-run offenses averaged 18.4 points-per-game through the first five matchups of the season. Wilson raised the stakes in his first seven games as a starter, as the offense ascended to scoring 28.4 points-per-game. The offense also increased from a 298 yards-per-game average to 372 per-game with Wilson under center.
Needless to say, the offense has to find better footing after gaining only 258 yards-per-game over their four game losing streak. Pickens could be the key to unlocking that production, but he was incapable of coming down with several passes in Saturday’s game against the Bengals. Had he done so, the Steelers may be walking into a different venue this weekend after snapping their winning streak.
However, all of the blame can’t be placed on Pickens. He was joined by several other playmakers who failed to convert key plays, including Pat Freiermuth, Jaylen Warren, Najee Harris, and Calvin Austin. The offensive line has to give Wilson time to throw, or get a hat-on-hat to aide the run game. A lack of blocking upfront has been crucial throughout the losing streak, where Wilson has been sacked 14 times in four games after going down 19 times in the previous seven.
Also, a complimentary offense will only help a defense that held Joe Burrow and the Bengals to a single touchdown, and 19 points total, while holding the ball for 38 minutes. If Arthur Smith’s group can find ways to gain short and manageable situations – while converting them and in the redzone – the Steelers could be a dangerous team beyond snapping their regular season and playoff losing streak.
Tomlin under pressure to deliver
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has guided his team to seven AFC North titles and three AFC Championship games, and he has twice led them to a Super Bowl appearance, including winning Super Bowl XLIII.
However, most of that feels like a distant memory now. As per usual, when things go poorly the head coach gets the brunt of the blame. Mike Tomlin’s leadership has been called into question. Though he has never delivered a losing season in his 18 years in the league, Tomlin’s critics are questioning if the coach is finally under the hot seat.
Should the Steelers end this season with a five game losing streak and another playoff loss, many feel that team president Art Rooney II may be forced to make sweeping changes. This is in spite of Tomlin’s 11th postseason appearance – but his record 0-4 record since making the AFC title game in 2016 looms larger than ever as his team enters the tournament mostly healthy.
That shouldn’t take away from Tomlin’s accomplishments. Although Tomlin seems to have lost his winning edge, as of late, the playoffs present an opportunity to start fresh. All teams are 0-0 and an upset win on their rival’s turf would take the sour taste of recent defeats away almost immediately.
Albeit unlikely, a deeper postseason run would cement the head coach’s legacy and deliver a more promising team outlook into the future. While everyone would love a Super Bowl victory, the reality is that is far often out of reach. However, a win or two could bring Tomlin, his staff, and even seasoned veterans such as Russell Wilson or Cameron Heyward to the forefront of delivering even harder in 2025.
Yet, if the Steelers stumble badly this Saturday, all of those narratives flip and the winds of change could blowing strongly in the Steel City.
