I said I would share this stat far and wide if and when the Pittsburgh Steelers made the playoffs. The one figure that should haunt them heading into Saturday’s Wild Card game, one unrelated to anything they’ve done wrong during their four-game losing streak. And it’s a big one.
66-0.
That’s the combined first quarter score of the Steelers last five playoff games, all losses. You can take a guess if Pittsburgh is on the right or wrong side of the number.
To recap, here’s the first quarter scores of each of those games.
2016 Conference Title Loss To New England: 10-0 Patriots
2017 Divisional Loss To Jacksonville: 14-0 Jaguars
2020 Wild Card Loss To Cleveland: 28-0 Browns
2021 Wild Card Loss To Kansas City: 0-0 Tie
2023 Wild Card Loss To Buffalo: 14-0 Bills
Add it up and it’s 66-0. Holes Pittsburgh has consistently dug themselves that they spend the rest of the game fighting out of. The Steelers have managed to climb back into some of those games. They did against Jacksonville and trailed Buffalo by just seven early in the fourth quarter. But the results were all the same. And slow starts are a clear reason for why the Steelers are on their longest playoff victory drought since the merger.
It’s hard to feel confident 2024 will be different. Pittsburgh’s slow starts have only worsened. They averaged under three first quarter points all season, failed to find the end zone on an opening possession, and have been outscored 112-48 in the first 15 minutes of the regular season.
Mike Tomlin loves saying slow starts don’t define the Steelers. I’ve come to understand the point he’s attempting to make and it’s not entirely without merit. More than most teams, Pittsburgh can battle back and have a never-say-uncle attitude that brings them back into games they were seemingly knocked out of. But in the playoffs, these types of holes are nearly impossible to come all the way back from.
Starting slow is a direct path to another playoff loss. Especially for how this team is built, hellbent on running the ball and utilizing play-action off it. Going on the road in a hostile environment and falling behind early only intensifies the crowd and unnerves young players.
Pittsburgh doesn’t have to race out to a 21-0 lead, though I wouldn’t be upset if they did. But scoring points and ending the shutout drought would be one heck of a first step. And keeping things at least within one score after the first 15 minutes is enough to change the framework of the past games. If Baltimore leads 7-3, 10-7, something like that after the first frame, that’s a game Pittsburgh can win. Go down 17-0 and the rout could be on.
