Once is a coincidence, twice is a pattern, and three times is a confirmation, so what does that make six times? The Pittsburgh Steelers’ playoff history over the last nine years tells an unfortunate story.
Six consecutive losses and five consecutive one-and-done playoff appearances are rare for any organization, let alone one with the high standard of playoff excellence that the Steelers have traditionally been known for. But there’s been one common theme in each of those six losses: slow starts.
“The common thread is that they weren’t ready to play, and that falls squarely on the coaching staff and Mike T[omlin],” said former GM Doug Whaley via The Black & Gold Zone on WPXI. “As much and how good he has been in the regular season, his playoff demons live on.”
Tomlin has continually said his playoff record is his luggage to carry and doesn’t fall on his team. Most of the players haven’t been around for the full losing streak. However, within that losing streak, there is a more concerning trend of the Steelers getting the brakes beat off of them so badly in the first quarter (or half) that they are unable to recover or make the game competitive in the end.
The Ravens got up to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter and a 21-0 lead by halftime. Over the last six playoff games, the Steelers have now been outscored 73-0. That is unfathomably bad. The games are over before they have begun. Look at the Steelers in the second half, for example. They won the second half 14-7, but it didn’t matter because they spotted the Ravens 21 points in the first half.
The problem of having slow starts to games extends beyond the playoff streak. The Steelers haven’t been able to score a touchdown on the opening drive all season long. Even the 2023 Matt Canada-led offense was able to crack that nut in all three of his seasons.
It made no sense to me when the Steelers won the coin toss why they would elect to receive. The offense hasn’t been good at starting games all year. Why would they take the ball early when they aren’t good to give up the first possession in the third quarter, where they have been good?
When asked about starting games fast, it always comes back to execution. Players and coaches both talk about execution and situational football. Winning on early downs to set up manageable possession downs. We have all heard that message a hundred times at this point across several different seasons.
In the end, Tomlin was unable to exorcise his playoff demons, and he now has yet another piece of baggage to carry into his next team. At a certain point, that baggage becomes too heavy to carry on.
