When it comes to sports, the team comes before the individual. Play for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back. The Pittsburgh Steelers Wild Card loss is a team loss. Everyone in that locker room, every person in that organization, feels the weight of defeat. It’ll linger throughout the offseason until they turn the page and report for training camp in late July.
But the loss highlights two players more than anyone else on the roster. T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward. Two tremendous players and people who define what it means to be a Steeler. They’re only missing one thing.
Playoff success.
All the Steelers’ greats have that in their legacy. The ’70s dynasty and their four Super Bowl rings. Ben Roethlisberger and the two more he added. Even those who didn’t hoist a Lombardi have that story. Rod Woodson returning from his ACL tear to play in the 1995-1996 Super Bowl.
Pittsburgh’s lack of success under Heyward and Watt aren’t their fault. Again, team sport. But it’s also hard to ignore. In 13 NFL seasons, Heyward has suited up for one playoff win, the 2015-2016 Wild Card victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers made the AFC Title game the following year, but Heyward was out with a torn pec. With Monday’s defeat, he’s 1-7 in the playoffs.
Watt? He’s still looking to tell someone he won a playoff game. Pittsburgh hasn’t won in the postseason since he was drafted, now 0-3 in games he’s played in, missing this year’s contest. Again, the weight of this streak doesn’t fall on him or any singular player. But for both guys who are so prideful and invested in the team’s success, it has to feel like it.
During his postgame presser, Heyward said as much.
“That’s the thing that bugs me the most at night,” he told reporters Monday evening. “Not having an opportunity to win a Super Bowl. Seeing all my teammates before that won it, seeing the culture and tradition here, every man should feel that way.”
It’s arguably the motivating factor in Heyward returning. If he had his ring, he might be hanging up his cleats right now. But he’s chasing the hope, the chance, the possibility Pittsburgh can go on a run. To feel the magic of postseason success, the energy and feeling that washes over the team and the city. To not just fantasize about winning the Super Bowl as this magical and ethereal event, the stuff you dream of in August but remains so far away. But to be right there, in the AFC Title game, and feed off that energy. Heyward knows his time is short. Next year may be his last chance. Or it’ll be his biggest regret.
And for Watt? A Hall of Fame player who can’t buy a playoff win. The Steelers are the NFL’s version of the Los Angeles Angels. Stud players like Mike Trout and (until he left) Shohei Ohtani. But it’s not enough to get the team where they want to go. Or even get all that close.
The Steelers have become a regular-season team. And often, not even a great one. But they can tough it out, finish strong, and be in the hunt. Maybe get into the dance. Then, they exit as quickly as they enter, thanks to careless offensive play and a defense that can’t buy a stop.
These careers, Heyward’s especially, are trending towards “Yeah but” territory. He was a great player, yeah, but where was the playoff success? That’s the glory, that’s the legacy. It doesn’t and shouldn’t take away from what great players both are, but it’ll be the asterisk on their resume.
Taking off the analyst hat, and the reason why it’s worth even writing this, is to say: It sucks, man. It hurts to watch. I can’t imagine what it’s like to feel and internalize that pain. At least Mike Tomlin has a ring. He climbed to the top of the mountain, even if he’s struggling to find solid ground now.
Heyward and Watt have been wishing, hoping, staring at the mountaintop high above the clouds, wondering what it looks like.
They may never get there.
