List Of Teams Without Playoff Win More Recent Than Steelers Running Out Of Names After Commanders Win

Entering the 2024 playoffs, the Steelers had only won a postseason game more recently than eight other teams. After the weekend, that list is now down to seven thanks to the Washington Commanders. With rookie QB Jayden Daniels, Washington just won its first postseason game since 2005.

Ending the third-longest drought in the NFL behind only the Las Vegas Raiders and Miami Dolphins, the Commanders now push the Steelers one notch further down the list. With its last victory in 2016, Pittsburgh now owns the eighth-longest playoff drought. Across all 32 teams in the NFL, only seven teams have not won a playoff game since the Steelers’ last victory.

And it’s not for a lack of trying on the Steelers’ part. They have lost six games in a row, which is one of the longest losing streaks in NFL postseason history. Rest assured, that will be the subject of another article on its own, since you’re currently only interested in misery-reading.

Since the 2016 AFC Championship Game, the Steelers have lacked the privilege of experiencing a postseason win. That’s somewhat shocking considering they won 10 playoff games between 2005 and 2016. Bear in mind, the Jets and Dolphins haven’t even won a playoff game since before that time.

Not that the Steelers and certainly their fans should take any solace in that. The expectation is always playoff victories, with the intention of winning the Super Bowl. The Steelers have fallen more woefully short of that goal more consistently than in any time in the Super Bowl era. Even in the doldrums of the late Chuck Noll years, they managed an occasional playoff win.

Right now, Mike Tomlin’s legacy is looking a lot more like Marvin Lewis than Chuck Noll. But are the Steelers at a crossroads? If they are, they don’t appear to know it. At least via media leaks, they are throwing up signs of confidence in Tomlin.

Winning playoff games, let alone the Super Bowl, is never easy and should not be taken lightly. Postseason success is not something the Steelers are entitled to by birthright. It is earned through extensive and consistent hard work, on and off the field. That includes the front office putting together a roster that a staff can coach into championship caliber.

I don’t need to tell you, dear reader, that the Steelers have been routinely falling short of that standard. They have now gone eight years without a playoff win, extending the longest drought in franchise history. While it’s true some other franchises might envy that, it’s not the Steelers way.

And it does nothing for the current situation. The Falcons, Chargers, Colts, Patriots, Titans, Seahawks, Vikings, Browns, Ravens, Saints, Rams, Bengals, Jaguars, Eagles, 49ers, Cowboys, Giants, Bills, Texans, Chiefs, Buccaneers, Lions, and Packers have all won in the playoffs more recently than the Steelers.

The list of teams that are still looking for their first playoff win since the Steelers’ last continues to shrink. Losing the Commanders, they are now left with only the Cardinals, Broncos, Panthers, Bears, Jets, Raiders, and Dolphins. And would anybody be surprised if the list shrinks even further in 2025? The Broncos, certainly, are contenders, and perhaps the Bears or Dolphins as well.

An asterisk denotes a playoff team as of this writing.