NFL Analysis
1/11/25
7 min read
Pittsburgh Steelers Need Major Changes After Another Early Playoff Exit
The Pittsburgh Steelers entered Round 1 of the playoffs, losing their last four games, three of which were by double-digits. They had not held a lead in a game since Dec. 8, and they went into the postseason as cold as they’ve ever been.
And that certainly was the case early in the game. Pittsburgh was a 9.5-point underdog against a divisional opponent that it had handled during the Lamar Jackson era. Yet, the Steelers were down 21-0 at halftime with 59 total yards of offense.
Unfortunately, this has been a common trend under Mike Tomlin. The Steelers have now allowed 28 or more points in six straight playoff contests and have had massive halftime deficits in every single one of them. Pittsburgh made the game competitive for a while, but Baltimore never really felt threatened. It was yet another game where Pittsburgh never held a lead.
So, where do the Steelers go from here? Because it’s certainly starting to feel like Groundhog’s Day. Pittsburgh won 10 games again this year and had a comfortable lead in the AFC North going into December. But the defense fell off a cliff, which resulted in another Round 1 exit.
Just how bad has this drought been for the Steelers? They have not won a playoff game in eight straight seasons. 29 different head coaches have won a playoff game during that span, including Jason Garrett, Mike Mularkey, Anthony Lynn, Frank Reich, and Bill O’Brien.
Tomlin’s teams haven’t been competitive in the playoffs, and the lack of playoff success could cause major shake-ups in Pittsburgh.
What moves can the Steelers make? Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are free agents. T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward are in their 30s, and the league’s most expensive defense has looked like anything but in the playoffs. They have a bunch of cap space going into the 2025 offseason, but there aren’t many options at quarterback, and the roster needs an overhaul.
New QBs and Coordinators
The first place to look is at the quarterback. Wilson is a free agent, but he’ll be 37 during the 2025 season, and it’s pretty clear that his athleticism is diminishing. He did post another 95-passer rating this season, but Pittsburgh got him on a cheap deal because Denver was paying his salary. Will they love paying a soon-to-be 37-year-old $35 million a year this offseason? Probably not.
Pittsburgh could turn to Fields, but he also is a free agent. He showed some improvement this year, but is he worth developing in 2025 or beyond? The answer is probably not, but he’ll be cheap, and his athleticism could be intriguing for the Steelers.
Pittsburgh will certainly be interested in some of the other free-agent options, but it doesn’t feel like there is a clear upgrade over Wilson of Fields sans Sam Darnold. The safest bet is to assume that one or both will be back in 2025.
The next option is to change coordinators. Arthur Smith was brought in to replace Matt Canada, and he did an admirable job, so much so that he has already been requested for head coaching interviews this offseason. It seems unlikely he’ll get a head coaching gig, but we would be lying if we said that he is a difference-maker when it comes to designing an offense.
Pittsburgh got some good play from Wilson and Fields this year, but the running game was less effective this year than in previous seasons, and they never scored a first-drive touchdown in the regular season or postseason. Their inability to start games hot consistently put them into a hole, and it was often too big for them to climb out of in big-time matchups.
The Steelers could explore a different OC, but changing play-callers in three straight seasons certainly doesn’t promote continuity. It’s safe to assume that Smith will be back, and that’s probably the smart decision.
The other coordinator is Teryl Austin, who has been a bit of an issue during the last two seasons. He’s not where near as aggressive as Dick LeBeau or Keith Butler, and that is felt in big-time games. The pass rush has been great, but it’s not overly creative, and opponents were able to take Watt out of too many games.
There are some good options out there for a potential defensive coordinator, but will Tomlin want to change his scheme with so many veterans on the roster? Again, the answer is probably no.
Should Mike Tomlin Return?
That leads us to Mike Tomlin, one of the league’s most respected coaches. There is no doubt that he is loved by his peers, and players love to play for Tomlin. However, it’s not working right now. Eight years without a single playoff win is eye-opening. And with Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and others in the conference, it’s fair to wonder how long that streak might continue.
The Steelers pride themselves in only having three coaches in their franchise’s history. And Tomlin’s streak of no losing seasons continues. Still, Tomlin preaches that the “Standard is the Standard” in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, that standard has been lowered.
They haven’t won the division since 2020, and their last postseason win came in 2016. Tomlin isn’t a bad coach, but even the best coaches in NFL history could benefit from a change of scenery.
Look no further than Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles. Reid took the Eagles to four straight NFC Championship games from 2001-2004. But after four straight years of failing to win a postseason game (2009-2012), the Eagles decided to move on.
Reid left for Kansas City and has since won three Super Bowls. It worked out for the Eagles, too, winning a Super Bowl with Doug Pederson in 2017 and then making another with Nick Sirianni in 2022. Both sides benefited from a split, and that might be the answer for the Steelers and Tomlin.
With so many head coach openings this offseason, the Steelers could mutually decide to trade Tomlin to a destination he prefers. Or, he could go the Sean Payton/Mike McCarthy route and sit out a year to refuel and prepare for 2026. But it’s not working in Pittsburgh, and it feels like it has reached a ceiling with Tomlin.
The Steelers are in desperate need of a rebuild. They have one of the older rosters in the league, and they could benefit from a year with a high picks and redistributing their money. But that’s not the Steelers way.
Stuck In The Past
The safest bet is to assume everyone will be back, including Tomlin, Smith, and Wilson/Fields. They’ll make some changes on the fringes and will try to convince everyone that next year will be different.
But we know that it won’t. And the further we get from the Ben Roethlisberger era, the more it’s too fair to wonder if Tomlin knows how to build and coach a Super Bowl-caliber team. Getting an elite quarterback would obviously solve many of their needs, but with Tomlin so heavily involved in free agency and the draft, he might not know how to find and develop that player.
Expect the same in Pittsburgh this offseason, which is a lot of nothing. That likely won’t get them any closer to winning a playoff game anytime soon.
This was once a franchise that prided itself on winning Super Bowls and not just playoff games. However, that’s just not the case with this iteration of the Steelers. They are a team in disarray that desperately needs a change, but they are too stubborn to do so.
