Steelers’ Playoff Drought Continues with Loss to Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ 2024 season ended in disappointment as they fell to the Baltimore Ravens 21-0 in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The loss marked the team’s fifth consecutive defeat and extended their postseason win drought to at least nine years. The Steelers, once a dominant force in the NFL, are now 16 years removed from their last Super Bowl victory and appear to be falling further behind rivals like the Ravens, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs.

The game was a stark reminder of the Steelers’ struggles, as the Ravens dominated from the outset, building a 21-0 lead by halftime and amassing 464 yards of offense. Pittsburgh’s defense, once a hallmark of the franchise, was unable to contain Baltimore’s attack, while the offense sputtered under the leadership of veteran quarterback Russell Wilson. Despite completing 20 of 29 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns, Wilson’s performance was not enough to overcome the team’s deficiencies.

“Russ fooled ‘em for a game or two, and then he went back to being the Russ that I’ve seen over the last few years,” said Marc Ross, former New York Giants vice president of player personnel. “You can’t fool people in the NFL for long. Everybody’s got a bead on what he can do now, which is not much.”

The Steelers’ struggles at quarterback have been a recurring theme since the retirement of two-time Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger. The team’s attempts to find a successor, including drafting Kenny Pickett in 2022 and signing Wilson and Justin Fields, have yet to yield results. “They had an aging Ben Roethlisberger, and they refused to be proactive with finding the replacement,” Ross added. “Now you’re in desperation mode.”

Head coach Mike Tomlin, who has faced increasing scrutiny amid the team’s struggles, defended his players after the loss. “I’m not ready to take a big-picture approach,” Tomlin said. “Really assessing what happened today. I’m certainly appreciative of the efforts tonight, but I can say that largely for the entire season.”

Despite the disappointment, Tomlin remains committed to the team’s future. “They’re two quality people at the quarterback position, man, and really appreciate what they poured into this,” he said of Wilson and Fields. However, with both quarterbacks headed toward free agency, the Steelers face another offseason of uncertainty as they look to rebuild and return to contention.

The loss to the Ravens was a microcosm of the Steelers’ season, as they struggled to compete with the league’s elite teams. “I know a lot of Steelers fans – they feel like they’re perpetually in purgatory,” said Ross Tucker, a former NFL offensive lineman and current CBS analyst. “They have no mechanism to get a quarterback that can legitimately compete with (Patrick) Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and all these guys.”

As the Steelers head into the offseason, the pressure will be on Tomlin and the front office to address the team’s shortcomings and find a path back to relevance in the NFL.