The standard is the standard. Mike Tomlin’s most famous phrase. Pittsburgh’s developed one heck of a standard under Tomlin the past eight years. It’s just not the one they want to cultivate. No matter what the team tweaks, changes, and alters, the results are the same. Make the playoffs, get trounced, and bounced. That’s their new standard.
Saturday night was the latest confirmation of what the team has been reduced to. A team capable of making the playoffs. Even in a competitive AFC North and quality AFC as a whole, the Steelers can make the dance. But they’re just as good as making a quick goodbye.
Losing in the playoffs is tough enough. How the Steelers pack things up has only added to that pain. The formula is remarkably similar. Get down early. In the first quarter of its six-straight playoff losses, Pittsburgh’s been outscored 73-0, a number so ridiculous it barely even feels real. Whether you look at the team’s regular season or playoff losing streak, the Steelers’ slow starts are laughable.
That stretch continued against Baltimore. While Pittsburgh was *only* down 7-0 after the first quarter of Saturday’s game, the Ravens’ dominance could already be felt. They had marched downfield on a 13-play drive for an opening-drive touchdown while the Steelers couldn’t do anything to punt the football away. By halftime, Baltimore had built a 21-0 lead in the latest example of Pittsburgh falling into a giant hole it couldn’t climb out of.
But true to form, the Steelers always show at least a little life. They made it 21-7. And 28-14. Twice, they had the ball down 14 with the chance to close the gap to one score. Russell Wilson hit moonballs and receivers made a couple of impressive plays. There’s always a glimmer of hope, enough to make you dream of the ultimate comeback, even if deep down you know the odds just aren’t there.
And so Pittsburgh’s attempts fell short. Down 28-14 late in the third quarter, a Russell Wilson third-down sack led to a punt. The next possession, a Wilson heave to WR Calvin Austin III in the end zone was easily swatted away and Baltimore ran out the rest of the clock.
Dig an early hole. Make a couple plays. Come up short. Go home.
Welcome to the standard.
How does it get fixed from here? I don’t know. We’ll have an offseason to talk about it. No matter the levers they pull or the dials they twist, the results always end up the same. It’s almost hard to believe. Firing Mike Tomlin will be the popular topic but one the Steelers don’t have on the table. Quarterback change is more likely but pivoting to external options looks weak. Does bringing in Aaron Rodgers really change things? Or would Pittsburgh continue re-arranging chairs on the Titanic?
That’s not the point. Not 24 hours after the loss. It’s recognition this is who the Steelers are. A one-and-done team. A team that beats national pundits’ modest expectations, limping over a too-low set bar, to briefly earn showers of praise before bowing out when the real contenders get going in January.
That’s what the Steelers have been reduced to. Or more accurately, what they’ve reduced themselves to. There’s no light at the end of this tunnel. Just more of the same on The Standard Express. A fast track to the couch.
