The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t won in the playoffs since 2016, and the team has gone one-and-done in their last four postseason appearances. It’s one of the biggest criticisms against head coach Mike Tomlin, and with the Steelers entering the playoffs on a four-game losing streak, things don’t seem promising for the Steelers looking to end their playoff win drought. But Tomlin expressed confidence in this group being able to beat the Baltimore Ravens in his weekly press conference.
“Because I work with this group every day. I’m excited about it. We’re very familiar with this team. We know how to play this group, and so that’s where our focus is as we get prepared for this one. What you mentioned is my story. It’s not this collective story. Many of these guys involved do not tote those bags. I happily tote those bags. But it’s not something that I’m gonna project on the collective,” Tomlin said via the team’s YouTube channel.
Ahead of last season’s playoff matchup against the Buffalo Bills, Tomlin said the same thing about the lack of playoff success being his story and not the story of the collective. That holds especially true this season, with a Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Russell Wilson and roster turnover on both sides of the ball. But a different group doesn’t change the fact that Tomlin has struggled to win in the postseason lately.
The matchup with Baltimore doesn’t look favorable, especially on the road. But the Steelers have beaten the Ravens once this season, and as Tomlin said, it’s a team the Steelers know how to play. They lost on the road to the Ravens in Week 16, but it’s a game that could’ve gone differently had it not been for a Russell Wilson fumble inside the Baltimore five-yard line or a pick-six with the Steelers trying to drive and tie the game. It’s an AFC North battle, and the Steelers aren’t game-planning for a team they haven’t seen yet. It’s an advantage for both teams, but Tomlin is confident that the Steelers will be prepared.
Another one-and-done playoff appearance would reflect really poorly on Tomlin, and this team isn’t getting younger. T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward haven’t experienced much playoff success during their tenure with the team (Watt doesn’t a single playoff win in his career), and those guys are hungry to win. Dating back to training camp, the focus for this team has been to win in the playoffs. If they fail to do so, the season will go down as a failure.
We’ll see if Tomlin’s confidence that things will change can turn into reality, and while the Steelers might be familiar with the Ravens, it’s still a team they’ll likely have their hands full with on Saturday night. We’ll see if Tomlin can overcome his playoff baggage and lead the Steelers to an upset victory over their rivals.
