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Once again, the black and gold fall short.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially been eliminated from the NFL playoffs with a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round. The loss brings HC Mike Tomlin’s record in the playoffs to an abysmal 8-11, with his record on the road in the playoffs sitting at 2-6. After a promising 10-3 start, the Steelers went on a four-game skid to close out the regular season, while the Ravens finished their year on a 4-0 run coming out of the bye.
The Steelers’ last playoff win came in the 2016 season, having lost in the Wild Card Round in four of the past five seasons. It’s brought HC Mike Tomlin under immense scrutiny, as well as his coaching staff.
Where do the Steelers go from here? How long can Pittsburgh continue to roll with Mike Tomlin as head coach with the continual postseason failures and late-season fallout? He’s a player’s coach, no doubt. But how many times can the black and gold fall before acknowledging that a change might be the right move?
Despite finishing the year with the same 10-7 record they had last season, the Steelers do feel like they’ve come far… kind of. There was a shift in the overall approach that felt like a move in the right direction. The team was more aggressive in free agency, signing the likes of Patrick Queen and DeShon Elliott. The Steelers made the surprising move of trading away former first-round pick Kenny Pickett and overhauling the quarterback room with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Unfortunately, their efforts to acquire a star wide receiver were for naught, and it was apparent throughout the season. Still — it was nice to see the team do… something. Anything.
Just last offseason, Art Rooney II expressed frustration regarding the team’s lack of playoff success, stating, “We’ve had enough of this… It’s time to get some wins; it’s time to take these next steps.” It goes without saying that the urgency felt this offseason, which was a transformative one, will hopefully be multiplied this offseason.
The Steelers’ last playoff win came in the 2016 NFL season, as the Steelers defeated the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card, followed by a win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead in the Divisional Round. Unfortunately, it all came to a head with a loss against the New England Patriots in Foxborough — and the drought has continued ever since.
The only question is what comes next.