The Pittsburgh Steelers head into the postseason with as little momentum as is conceivably possible. They have lost four consecutive games and have looked nothing like a playoff team in any of those performances. Their offense is flat, lifeless, and just as unimpressive as it was with Kenny Pickett under center in the previous two seasons. After the conclusion of Sunday’s results, it has been confirmed that the Steelers will face the Ravens for a third time this upcoming Saturday night. The Steelers are currently a 9.5-point underdog according to SportsLine to the surprise of absolutely no one.
Another Poor Performance To Close Out The Season
Less than a month ago, the Steelers were 10-3 and conversations were being had as to whether or not they could challenge Kansas City and Buffalo for the AFC’s top seed. They also had a two-game lead in the AFC North over the Ravens, whom they had already beaten earlier in the season. Since then, the cold reality of 2025 has set in and Pittsburgh’s season has taken a turn for the absolute worst.
The Steelers lost their regular season finale to the Bengals by a score of 19-17. Pittsburgh finished the game with just 193 yards of offense—the second time in the last month that the Steelers’ offense has been held to under 200 total yards in a game. To make matters even worse, Pittsburgh had a golden opportunity to win the game late in spite of their poor offensive outing. Down bytwo points with 1:51 left in the game, the Steelers got the ball back at their own 24-yard line with a single timeout remaining. Pittsburgh would have only had to have gained roughly 40 yards to get into Chris Boswell’s range and set him up to make a game-winning field goal. In the end, the drive was ruined by incredibly poor clock management and ultimately ended with a turnover on downs.
Does Pittsburgh Have Any Chance To Beat Baltimore?
While Pittsburgh’s record against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens has been favorable, it’s hard to make any sort of case for why they should win this game. The Steelers are averaging just 14.3 points per game during their 4-game losing streak. Pittsburgh’s offensive decline has coincided with the regression in the play of Russell Wilson, who had won six of his first seven starts with the team before losing the final four games of the regular season.
Aside from the Steelers’ immense struggles of late, the Ravens have played quite the opposite. Since their Week 14 bye, Baltimore is 4-0, having scored 31 or more points in each of those games, while also winning each game by 17 points or more. Despite being much maligned throughout most of the season, the Ravens’ defense has played fantastic during their four-game winning streak, allowing just 10.8 points per game during that stretch. Assuming those trends continue, this matchup will predictably provide a huge strength-on-weakness advantage for Baltimore. It’s safe to say that Pittsburgh’s eight-year playoff win drought will continue for at least another season, barring something drastic and unforeseen.
Will Mike Tomlin Feel Some Pressure With Another Playoff Loss?
© Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
The Steelers have lost five consecutive playoff games dating back to 2017—the longest streak in franchise history. They have also only won three playoff games since appearing in Super Bowl 45 back in 2011. While Mike Tomlin’s streak of consecutive non-losing seasons is impressive, his 8-10 playoff record is very underwhelming and not befitting of Pittsburgh’s rich postseason history.
Should the Steelers lose yet another playoff game this Saturday, as is widely expected, Tomlin could and should face serious pressure going forward. There were discussions about Tomlin’s future after the end of last season when he was due for a new contract. Even though Pittsburgh elected to extend him, they should be inclined to reevaluate his performance and consider their future after what will likely end as another mediocre season—one that had the potential to be so much better.
Recent rumors have stated that certain unnamed teams might be interested in trading for Tomlin. If that is indeed the case, it might be time for Tomlin and the Steelers to go their separate ways and pursue new beginnings. For now, the narrative surrounding the team has become increasingly stale, never varying that much from season to season. Major changes might be the only thing that could bring them back to their old standard.
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