The Steelers Cannot Ride the Wave of Emotions in 2024
Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
I played lacrosse in high school and college. It is fun and challenging and overall a fantastic sport. It, like basketball, is a game of streaks. Being down a goal or two late in the fourth quarter is far from a death sentence. Several points can be scored in any window of time and the game flipped. As many know, this is not the case in football, especially in the NFL.
Nevertheless, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a knack for squeaking out wins when it matters most. In fact, since 2000, the Steelers have the most wins when losing entering the fourth quarter. For reference, the Steelers have accomplished this feat 15 times, while the Kansas City Chiefs have the second most at only 10. This is inspiring stuff. Tomlin and his staff have been able to will their players to victory in recent seasons, which should be applauded.
However, this penchant for pulling victory from the jaws of defeat is a double-edged sword. The fact that there has been a need for many of these fourth-quarter comebacks is a symptom of Pittsburgh’s streakiness over the past four seasons.
If you take a jog down memory lane, you will see that the Steelers have performed inconsistently in each of those seasons. From starting 11-0 and falling to 12-5 in 2020 to starting 1-3 and making the playoffs in 2021, the Steelers have not revealed an aptitude for a metered season.
This has come back to bite them more often than not.
The 2020 slide is the most obvious example to highlight. No team wants to be on a massive losing streak entering the playoffs. The follow-up to that slide, of course, was a playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field, just one week after a head-to-head loss in the regular season finale that essentially let Cleveland into the playoffs to begin with.
In more recent years, the Steelers have fought and clawed their way into the playoffs by winning games down the stretch. These miraculous playoff berths have resulted from establishing a new identity late in the season, and often against weaker competition. Getting to the dance is getting to the dance, but it has been apparent in all three of their recent playoff appearances that the Steelers’ identity was still underdeveloped.
Pittsburgh cannot afford to edge out games week after week this season. First and foremost, because they need to stay as healthy as possible on defense. Convincing wins provide respite for key players, particularly as the game winds down. Think back to the TJ Watt’s MCL injury, suffered late in Baltimore. The opportunity to remove key components on both sides of the ball will reduce the risk of injury by nature, and allow players lower on the depth chart to develop further.
Offensively, there is a little more to it. Any media member will highlight Arthur Smith’s offense in Tennessee and his ability to rely heavily on the run. Many anticipate this to be the case in Pittsburgh. In theory, I am in support of that, but they cannot risk becoming one-dimensional once again.
The run game may carry the developing pass game for a week or two, but it shouldn’t extend beyond that. Pittsburgh is slated to face an array of dynamic defenses this season, particularly during the gauntlet that is the second half of their schedule. The run game will be stifled if they haven’t realized the potential of the passing game at that point.
It is reassuring that the Steelers have seemed to figure things out down the stretch in recent years, which aligns well with what they have ahead of them. But let’s not forget Tomlin-coached teams’ aptitude to lose games to inferior opponents.
Year in and year out, the Steelers squeak out games against powerhouses, but lose to teams that are playing for draft position. If the Steelers don’t find a rhythm early, they are liable to go on a losing streak that could be nearly impossible to climb back from, considering the strength of schedule they face after the bye week.
With a new cast on offense and a do-or-die situation for many of the vets and coaches, it’s likely to be an emotional season. That’s something Tomlin tends to play into, for better and for worse. That needs to shift if the Steelers want a chance to make a run down the stretch, and it will have to start as early as Week One. If not, it will be another roller coaster of emotions for fans of the Black and Gold.
Up Next