The Steelers had a chance to get a huge playoff win to change the narrative surrounding the team after losing four straight games to end the regular season. In the end it was more of the same disappointment that we are getting used to seeing though.
The Steelers may have an impressive 21 year non-losing streak, but that streak isn’t so fun when the team has made just one AFC title game in 14 seasons. It can be easy to be hard on the franchise, but most of the league would love to have the same kind of success that the team has had over the last decade. They have the second best record in that span, only coming behind the Chiefs.
But this is the Pittsburgh Steelers, and unless they are competing for and winning Super Bowls, nobody is happy. And whether you have the prestige of the Steelers or not, losing six straight playoff games is bad.
Mike Tomlin is most likely going to remain head coach of the Steelers. But it is fair to question if he is no longer capable of delivering another Super Bowl. Tomlin’s most significant achievements came in his first four seasons (2007-10) where Pittsburgh won the AFC North three times, went to two Super Bowls, and won one.
The culture built by Bill Cowher still remained with those teams though. As the years have gone on, Tomlin’s success has not been so impressive. In the last 14 seasons the Steelers have one AFC title appearance and are 3-9 in the playoffs.
It’s not just Tomlin though, the Steelers need to find their next franchise quarterback. With Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen not going anywhere for awhile. And up and coming young quarterbacks like Bo Nix and CJ Stroud already finding success, the Steelers are getting left behind in the AFC because they don’t have a potential star of their own to build around.
Firing Tomlin won’t solve the issue, getting a better quarterback and pass catchers is more important. Pittsburgh’s offensive identity is limited because they have invested heavily in being a great running team that only passes if they need to.
They were 11th in the NFL in rushing, but they want to be better. The running back future is very unclear, Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris are both free agents this offseason.
They need young lineman like Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu, and Zach Frazier to turn out to be successful long term players in both run and pass blocking. Jones hasn’t quite lived up to expectations in his first two seasons, Frazier showed promise in his rookie year, and Fautanu got hurt missing most of the season.
At wide receiver, George Pickens is the only seemingly viable option to threaten defenses, which means he gets blanketed in coverage while other guys fail to get open and Wilson gets sacked or has to throw a short pass. If and when the Steelers do bring in a young promising quarterback, it would be great to have a solid line and good receivers for him to throw to. That needs to be the approach towards the offense this offseason.
Justin Fields should be the quarterback next season. Wilson provided a spark, and at times seemed to really elevate the team. But he isn’t by any means good enough to keep as the long term starter with him being 36 years old. Fields probably isn’t the long term guy, but he should get a chance to prove himself while the Steelers focus on other areas in this year’s draft and free agency.
Defensively, the Steelers invested a ton of money into the unit. T.J. Watt is a great player, but there is more to defense than just having a big time pass rusher. Cam Heyward is only getting older and will not be around too much longer. Hopefully Joey Porter Jr. can turn into an All-Pro cornerback, and guys like Peyton Wilson and Nick Herbig can develop into long term standouts.
The secondary isn’t particularly amazing. Minkah Fitzpatrick rarely creates turnovers like in his early years with the team, and the cornerbacks tend to not perform well against the better receivers they face.
The defense ranked 12th this season, which is not good enough with the Steelers having the most expensive defense in the NFL. Especially when the offense ranks in the bottom third of the league, it’s hard to win games without exceptional defensive play.
Overall, the current roster is not capable of challenging for a Super Bowl. There needs to be serious roster overhaul, and preparation for a young franchise quarterback coming in the next two or three years needs to begin.
If the Steelers continue doing what they are doing, then they will keep reaping what they sow.
