The Steelers have limped into the postseason.
After Week 18’s results, the playoff seeds have been settled.
It has been confirmed that the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens on Wild Card Weekend.
Pittsburgh are coming into the playoffs as the coldest team in the league and they are quite rightly big underdogs going into this weekend’s game.
There have been murmurs of discontent among Steelers fans as the winless streak grows.
If Saturday night brings a defeat, is it fair to ask if Mike Tomlin should be on the hot seat?
Reason for optimism
Despite an inconsistent start to the season, the Steelers managed to find form and grow to a record of 10-3.
During that stretch of games the team seemed to be firing on all cylinders with T.J. Watt becoming an odds-on favourite for defensive player of the year.
Several rookies popped up with game winning plays and Russell Wilson was seemingly rejuvenated, playing some of his best games statistically since his Seahawk days.
Wins against the Commanders, Ravens, Bengals and Browns made it seem like the division title was a certainty and that competing against some of the best teams in the league was something the team was capable of.
New year same Steelers
However, a four game losing streak to end the season does not inspire much hope.
It should be said these losses have came against some of the absolute best teams in the league.
It is more the manner of the defeat though that is bringing such dismay to fans, absolutely lifeless performances on offense where they are constantly getting into third and long and then inevitably cannot claw back the yards they have conceded.
On defense it is clear they are at a talent deficit against some of the elite offenses which over the course of a game becomes unsustainable.
Time is ticking
While there will be a level of understanding coming out of this season in regards to the lack of top level talent that the Steelers have particularly when facing elite teams.
It seems to be similar issues plaguing the team in recent years and its mainly an inability to stay in big games offensively.
Russell Wilson, despite showing promise, has made it clear that he is longer capable of consistently playing to the level required to win a Super Bowl.
With their last playoff victory coming in 2016, whispers of discontent are beginning to grow into murmurs and fans will be demanding some progress soon.
For now Mike Tomlin retains his status as bulletproof, but as the dust continues to grow on the trophy collection in Pittsburgh, he is aware as anyone that this team will only be patient for so long.
