The Pittsburgh Steelers are going through the same old cycle all over again. They were pretty good to start the regular season and then fell off a cliff as soon as they hit .500. That has been a worrisome and never-ending trend under Mike Tomlin’s tutelage.
Tomlin has been under fire for his lack of postseason success, losing his last six playoff games and the most recent five have been first-round exits, including Saturday against AFC North rival Baltimore. It was just another in a string of disappointing endings.
Watt had 11.5 sacks this season, but over the last 193 snaps of the year, they failed to record a single statistic. He battled thumb and ankle injuries to close the season, but it was a disappointing end for a player the Steelers looked at as their superstar cornerstone.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has not won a playoff game since 2016, going 0-5 since beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2016 Divisional Playoffs. That is not exactly news to most.
It was a sequence that perfectly captured the Pittsburgh Steelers’ desultory first-round playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night, and also the desultory, mediocre reality that has surrounded the Steelers for a decade now.
Pittsburgh Steelers star edge rusher T.J. Watt offered a very candid admission on his playoff performance and how it must improve in 2025.
The Steelers aren't known for bold moves, but could they trade their best offensive player, or a Pro Bowl defender?
Tomlin, who has been head coach of the Steelers since 2007, was not keen on discussing a future outside of Pittsburgh during his end-of-season press conference on Tuesday, and was only focused on taking what he can from the 2024 season and improving upon it for 2025.
PITTSBURGH -- T.J. Watt’s storied NFL career is already good enough to land him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The individual accomplishments will never be lacking for the Pittsburgh Steelers star outside linebacker. However, what has not followed is Watt’s postseason success.
The Steelers have won 80 regular-season games in the past eight seasons. They haven't won a playoff game in that same stretch, going 0-5. Tomlin said Tuesday his players frequently joke with him about one of his favorite cliches: "Two is a pattern." What about five?
The Baltimore Ravens took away the Pittsburgh Steelers' opportunity at a Super Bowl title in 2024, but one cannot take away the heart of the Black and Gold—especially not the burning desire in T.J. Watt to remain in the Steel City.