It feels like Groundhog Day for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Like clockwork, the playoffs came around, and they got destroyed. They showed life at a few different points, but nothing serious enough to threaten the Baltimore Ravens in a 28-14 loss Saturday night at M&T Bank Stadium. It’s another failure for the Steelers. Mike Tomlin made it clear this playoff losing streak is on him, not the team, but Joey Porter Jr. doesn’t believe Tomlin should solely tote those bags.
“It’s not all on him,” Porter said after the game via WPXI’s Black & Gold Zone. “It’s the whole team. This is my second playoff game. I lost two in a row, so I gotta hold that accountability to myself and everybody also gotta hold that accountability. We just gotta come back stronger and really just lock in next season.”
Porter is right that Tomlin isn’t the only reason the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. They’ve had other issues. However, considering he’s the Steelers’ leader, and the team has significantly changed over the years, he might deserve to shoulder much of the blame.
Tomlin has been one of the best coaches in the NFL. That might be frustrating to hear after yet another playoff loss, but it’s true. He’s helped drag the Steelers to the postseason when most people didn’t think they’d be competitive. That’s part of why this playoff drought is so infuriating. Tomlin does a good job during the regular season, but in the postseason, the Steelers have not been up to snuff.
It isn’t like they’ve just lost games either. None of their recent appearances have been close. It’s been blowout after blowout. That is a bag Tomlin has to tote. With Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph, and now, Russell Wilson, the Steelers have been annihilated in the playoffs.
Still, Porter isn’t wrong that the Steelers have had more issues than just Tomlin. Their defense got gashed by Derrick Henry again. Their offense was putrid too, starting slower than a snail. That’s not all on Tomlin.
Whether the Steelers win or lose, it’s a team effort. These failures stick with Tomlin more because he’s been here for so long, but it’s a problem everyone in their building has to deal with. This was another hopeful year that ended in disappointment. The Steelers have not lived up to the standard.
