As if a five-game bender that resulted in another one-and-done at the hands of a divisional rival wearing the AFC North crown wasn’t a bad enough way to end a season, the Pittsburgh Steelers find ways to hit bottom and keep digging. A 28-14 Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens Saturday night marked another moment of an offense incapable of putting up points, shut out in the first half before hitting a couple of long touchdowns to receivers Van Jefferson and George Pickens.
While the Steelers’ defense helped in the loss, the offense was a consistent dud throughout the losing streak. Pittsburgh’s final loss marked the fifth straight game it had been held at or under 17 points. We previously noted that their four-game streak was the team’s longest since 2003, already a long time. But five-in-a-row takes it to a whole different level of depression.
This is the first time Pittsburgh has been held at or under 17 points in five-straight games since 1969, otherwise known as Chuck Noll’s first year on the job. That year, they went on a six-game stretch across Weeks 8-13, losing every single game. Of course, losing was central to the team that year. After winning his debut against the Detroit Lions, the Steelers lost the rest of the 13 games on their schedule to finish 1-13 as Noll tore down and built back up the franchise.
Like their current stretch, many of those games weren’t competitive. It began with a 38-7 loss to the Chicago Bears with a 52-14 defeat against the Minnesota Vikings two weeks later. The following week, the St. Louis Cardinals blew them out by 37, while the final two games were narrow losses against the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. The offense only perked up in the finale, breaking the 20-point barrier even if the result was the same: a 27-24 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Quarterbacking the Steelers over that stretch was the duo of Dick Shiner and Terry Hanratty. Shiner was a veteran, but his time in Pittsburgh was his first chance to play extensively, while Hanratty was a 21-year-old rookie who ultimately had an unsuccessful career, pushed out by Terry Bradshaw.
Pittsburgh was supposed to feel better about their 2024 options. Overhauling the room and adding a Super Bowl winner in Russell Wilson, the Steelers struggled to put up points. They turned the ball over in crucial situations, couldn’t run a lick, were miserable in short-yardage moments, and lacked an identity and theory of how to move the football. An offense that peaked top-1o in scoring finished exactly average and, down the stretch, was one of the NFL’s worst. It leaves them unsure about their future at the position, even if Wilson has already expressed a desire to return.
Slow starts continue to plague Pittsburgh applying to the regular season or playoffs. Over their final five games, they were outscored 47-3 in the first quarter. Over their last six playoff games, they’ve been outscored 73-0.
No matter the spin, angle, or historical perspective, it was an ugly end to the season. One the Steelers must wallow in until their next meaningful game next September.
