Are the Steelers the worst team in the NFL playoffs?
As in every year, 14 teams qualified for the NFL playoffs this season. Of the 14, none have a worse record than the Steelers, though four have the same record. All of the Wild Card teams in the NFC have a better record, for example, as does one in the AFC.
And none of the other teams are entering the NFL playoffs on a massive losing streak. The Steelers lost their last four games of the regular season, a stunning plunge that has made doubters of everyone. A month ago, they were competing for the No. 1 seed. By season’s end, they couldn’t even hang onto the top Wild Card spot.
But the Steelers had a tough road, made worse by their own circumstances. They had to play three of the best teams in the NFL, and one could argue four. The Ravens and Bengals both ended the year on a hot streak that was the inverse of the Steelers’ streak. While the Bengals didn’t make the playoffs, they won their last five games, and very nearly did get in.
Most expect the Steelers’ stay in the 2024 NFL playoffs to be a brief one. After all, that has been their pattern, going one-and-done in four trips since 2017. If the Steelers can’t upset the Ravens, that will make it five in a row, extending a franchise record.
But this question isn’t about the Ravens, at least not specifically. Are the Steelers the worst team in the NFL playoffs of all 14 qualifiers? They beat the Los Angeles Chargers and the Dever Broncos, but both are playing better than in their meeting with the Steelers.
In the NFC, you have some arguably weaker division winners in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Los Angeles Rams. But the Rams are the opposite of the Steelers in this NFL playoffs. Los Angeles started slow and ramped it up over the course of the year. The Steelers were 10-3 and backed their way into the postseason. They did what they needed to do to get in, but are they even to be taken seriously?
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Russell Wilson earning a lucrative new deal next year, and is Justin Fields still in consideration? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The playoffs are here, following a grueling regular season. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
