The Pittsburgh Steelers’ challenge was steep on Saturday night. It didn’t get easier when the Baltimore Ravens started their AFC wild-card playoff game with a 95-yard touchdown drive.
And when the Steelers had fourth-and-inches, trailing 7-0, head coach Mike Tomlin decided to punt. It was an unfathomable moment.
The Ravens went on a 13-play, 85-yard drive after that, with every play being a run, and Derrick Henry scored to give Baltimore a 14-0 lead. Everyone watching at home could find other Saturday night plans after that. The game was practically over.
The Ravens would win 28-14.
Tomlin isn’t the problem with the Steelers. Saying he is also requires a belief the Steelers should have won more than 10 games this season with their roster. That’s probably not the case. But the frustration from Steelers fans is valid. That punt wasn’t the reason the Steelers lost, but it epitomized a stale approach that has many Pittsburgh fans begging for a change.
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When asked if he expects to see growth in the team's offense beyond improvement since his rookie year in 2022, George Pickens offered up a dispiriting, and to many, damning, "Nah."
Pittsburgh has been good enough to get to the playoffs and nowhere close to being competitive in the postseason for many years. That was the case again Saturday night, as the Ravens were never truly tested. The Steelers finish the season having not led a game since Dec. 8. They started 10-3 before completely collapsing. The performance against the Ravens was embarrassing in many ways.
Should the Steelers feel OK about this season, when Tomlin got plenty out of a roster without a top-end passing game and made the playoffs when very few predicted that? Or should they wonder if the coach who has kept them from being below .500 for 18 straight seasons is really what’s holding the team back?
Steelers blown out by Ravens
Watching Saturday night’s game, it’s fairly amazing that the Steelers beat the Ravens once this season, and had a shot to take down Baltimore for the AFC North crown until late in the season.
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Because on Saturday, there was never a moment of doubt over who was the better team. The Ravens looked like a true Super Bowl contender, and light years ahead of the Steelers. When Baltimore had a 13-play touchdown drive without passing once, it almost seemed like the Ravens were bored and challenging themselves. According to Amazon’s broadcast, it was the first TD drive in the NFL all season with 13 or more runs and no passes. And the Steelers were helpless to stop it.
By halftime, the Ravens led 21-0. Lamar Jackson had a highlight touchdown pass, buying time for almost seven seconds before hitting Justice Hill for a 5-yard score. They had outgained the Steelers 308-59. The Ravens had 19 first downs and the Steelers had two. Playoff games aren’t supposed to look like that. Playoff teams aren’t supposed to look as inept as Pittsburgh did, either.
There was a glimmer of hope in the second half when the Steelers finally hit some big plays, including a 30-yard touchdown to Van Jefferson. But right after that the Ravens went on another scoring drive, easily picking up a second-and-20 and then Henry breaking a 44-yard touchdown run. Henry tied Terrell Davis’ NFL record with his fourth 150-yard game in the playoffs. It was stunning how easily the Ravens moved the ball on the Steelers during that drive, or most of the game really.
When you play that poorly in a playoff game, after losing four in a row to finish the regular season without ever holding a head in any of those games, touting a 10-win season seems completely empty. It felt like the Steelers were no closer to being a contender than some of the teams who have a top-10 pick in this year’s NFL Draft.
The difficult question is: How can a 10-win team also feel in some ways like one that should be rebuilding?
What can change Steelers’ playoff drought?
This isn’t the first time over the past few years the Steelers were blown out in a playoff game shortly after kickoff. They’ve trailed by at least 10 points early in each of their past six playoff appearances, and a few times by more than 20.
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If what happened Saturday night was an outlier, showing little fight in a one-and-done playoff game, it might be excusable. When it has happened over and over for the better part of a decade, it’s a reason to justifiably wonder if big changes are needed, just to try something else.
“[That's] my story, not this collective's story,” Tomlin said this week when asked about the Steelers' playoff drought, which dates back to the end of the 2016 season. “Many of these guys involved do not tote those bags. I happily tote those bags. But that's not something I'm going to project on the collective.”
There are issues out of Tomlin’s control. The Steelers haven’t had good quarterback play since Ben Roethlisberger retired, and they’re always too low in the draft to land a top prospect. It would be fair to see if getting a quarterback could change the disappointing trajectory the Steelers and Tomlin are on. Tomlin doesn’t have a Jackson, or anything remotely close. It won’t be easy for Pittsburgh to find one either. But Tomlin also needs to be scrutinized for why his team has looked so bad in the playoffs for many of their recent appearances.
If history is an indicator, Tomlin will get more opportunities to get the Steelers back to a point in which they feel like legitimate championship contenders. But at some point, Pittsburgh can’t just keep doing the same thing and expect to catch a team like Baltimore. But the loss to the Ravens was more evidence that something is going to have to change.
Meanwhile, the Steelers finish a season that started well and ended with five straight losses. Russell Wilson played some good football in the second half, but his future is now extremely unclear as a free agent.
The Steelers still haven't found a consistent offensive identity since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger and this offseason represents a chance to wipe the slate clean. And perhaps, just maybe, make a coaching change?
Jack Baer
Lamar Jackson: 16-of-21 for 175 yards, two passing touchdowns, 81 rushing yards.
Derrick Henry: 186 rushing yards on 26 carries, two touchdowns.
The Ravens ran the ball 50 times.
Jack Baer
FINAL: Ravens 28, Steelers 14
The second half got a little wobbly, but the Ravens took care of business against an overwhelmed Steelers team. They ran it down their throats.
The Ravens will play the Buffalo Bills on the road next week if the Bills beat the Denver Broncos tomorrow. If the Broncos win, they host the Houston Texans.
Jack Baer
The Ravens turn to Mark Andrews for a third tush push to get a first down, and that pushes them to an even 300 yards rushing on the night. Sounds like a fun time against a division rival in the playoffs.
Jack Baer
Lamar Jackson became the NFL's all-time leader in rushing yards during the regular season. He just took the postseason crown too.
This is the Ravens team that needed to show up today and the rest of the postseason. Let the run game lead you to the Super Bowl. Lamar continues to be efficient in the pass game as well. The defense continues to play well but Stephens has become a major liability
The Steelers' list of pending free agents is... significant. It should be an eventful offseason in Pittsburgh, which will have $52.4 million in cap space per OverTheCap.
Steelers key free agents this off-season: QB Russell Wilson, QB Justin Fields, RB Najee Harris, OT Dan Moore Jr., CB Donte Jackson, WR Mike Williams, WR Van Jefferson, LB Elandon Roberts, G James Daniels, S Damontae Kazee, TE MyCole Pruitt, CB Cameron Sutton, CB C.J. Henderson, G…
Russell Wilson went for the big one on fourth down, and the target was George Pickens in triple coverage. Ar'Darius Washington bats the ball down in the end zone and it's Ravens ball.
Still 6:06 left, but the Ravens can basically end the game with a long drive.
Jack Baer
The Steelers are going for it on 4th-and-15 after a quick third-down pass to Van Jefferson.
Jack Baer
Now there's a big sack. Odafe Oweh gets Russell Wilson to push the Steelers to 3rd-and-22.
Jack Baer
Some of the Ravens' weak points in the secondary are coming back in this half.
Brandon Stephens played off coverage and still gave up a jump ball catch to George Pickens.
Calvin Austin nearly broke that punt return open, but it's now Pittsburgh ball at their own 25 with 8:36 remaining.
Jack Baer
The Steelers stop the Ravens on the next set of downs, but that fourth-down conversion cost them two minutes and 10 seconds of clock.
Jack Baer
For the second time tonight, the Ravens snap it to tight end Mark Andrews on a tush push and they pick up the first down. The Steelers weren't ready for it and get penalized for too many men on the field.
1st-and-10 Ravens on the Baltimore 45, with 10:33 remaining.
Jack Baer
Lamar Jackson gets the ball to Anthony Miller on third down, but Joey Porter Jr. makes a fantastic tackle to prevent the first down. The Ravens are now going for it on the fourth, and this will be big.
Jack Baer
Nnamdi Madubuike batted a pass on first down then sacked Russell Wilson on third down to get the Ravens defense off the field. That was the Baltimore's first third-down stop of the second half.
The Steelers get a significant stop, with the Ravens' first three-and-out of the night. Still a long way for Pittsburgh to go, but this remains a game.
Jack Baer
TOUCHDOWN: Russell Wilson hits George Pickens to make it 28-14
We suddenly have a second-half shootout. The Steelers respond quickly with a five-play, 70-yard drive to move back within two touchdowns of the Ravens. George Pickens got open after rookie cornerback Nate Wiggins failed to jam him and took it all the way to the house.
Russell Wilson suddenly has a very solid passing line of 14-of-19 for 207 yards and two touchdowns.
ESPN Research: Derrick Henry has now tied Jim Brown for the most games with 150 rush yards and 2 rushing touchdowns in NFL history, regular season and postseason combined (13)
And there's the Ravens' response. Derrick Henry breaks free from 44 yards out and puts the Ravens up 28-7. The Steelers still need at least three stops to pull off a miracle, and that's going to be hard with how the Ravens offense has been operating.
And now Alex Highsmith sacks Lamar Jackson on the Ravens' first play of their next drive. Game suddenly has a pretty different feel.
Jack Baer
Remember: The Ravens punted on 4th-and-1 at midfield on their last drive. The punt was good, but the Steelers found some momentum.
Jack Baer
Kyle Hamilton looked frustrated with Brandon Stephens on the coverage. Russell Wilson infamously throws almost no intermediate passes, going either short or deep. But knowing what was coming, the Ravens still got beat deep a bunch on that drive.
TOUCHDOWN: Steelers get on the board via Van Jefferson
The Steelers have life. Russell Wilson makes his third great throw of the drive, this time to Van Jefferson in the end zone. Pittsburgh drives for a touchdown from their own 2-yard line and already has more yards in the second half than the first half.
Another big play for Pittsburgh, this time a great throw down the sideline to Mike Williams for a 37-yard gain. The Steelers will take their first snap in Baltimore territory.
The Steelers get their first big play of the game, as Russell Wilson gets it to Calvin Austin for a 25-yard gain on 3rd-and-9. Austin got crushed on the catch, though.
Jack Baer
#Steelers DE Cam Heyward was evaluated for a possible head injury but has been cleared to return to tonight's game.
The Steelers haven't had the ball with a lead once in their last 6 playoff games. Their only lead in that time came on a fumble return TD by TJ Watt vs Chiefs in 2021 wild-card game and KC tied the game on the next possession.
Steelers starting LT Dan Moore Jr. sustained an ankle injury and is questionable to return, the team announced. He's not on the field to start the second half.
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