The Pittsburgh Steelers saw their 2024 season come to a close on Saturday night as they suffered another heartbreaking loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh lost the game by a score of 28-14, while all sides of the ball seemed to be ineffective during certain moments in the game. Penalties flew in on special teams, the defense struggled when it came to stopping the run, and the offense was completely lifeless in the first half. The string of poor playoff performances continued for the Steelers.
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Steelers' Mike Tomlin looks on as his team loses another playoff game at the end of the 2024 season.
If the Steelers wanted to have any chance of winning this game in Baltimore the offense needed to get out to a hot start. The complete opposite happened. The group didn't turn the ball over, but it failed to find the opposite side of the field as it entered halftime with zero points.
Pittsburgh was already down 21-0 at half, and the offense was to blame. Head Coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media after the loss and spoke about the offense while slamming some of the play from veteran quarterback Russell Wilson.
"Again man it was like our play, it wasn't good enough." Tomlin said. "I just loved the spirit of which he continued to fight, the way he led the unit out of the half."
Wilson did not play well enough to take down the Ravens, but that isn't clear just from looking at the stat sheet. The quarterback completed 20 of his 29 passes for 270 yards and two touchdowns, the unfortunate part is that most of that production came in the second half. The offense came out flat to begin the game, which put the Steelers in a considerable hole.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Russell Wilson looks to pass during a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs.
Steelers' Mike Tomlin Not Ready To Look At His Quarterback Situation
The Steelers have a ton of questions that need answered during the 2025 offseason. Wilson, Justin Fields, and Kyle Allen are all set to be free agents, so the Steelers have a serious dilemma at quarterback. Wilson and Fields have both played well at times during the season, but it is unlikely they are both brought back. Tomlin spoke to the media about his quarterback room.
"You know, I'm not ready to take a big-picture approach." Tomlin said. "I'm really assessing what happened today and I'm certainly appreciative of their efforts tonight. I could say that largely for the entire season."
Fields started the first six games of the season for Pittsburgh and led the team to a 4-2 record, and Wilson took over for the remainders of the year and went 6-6, including the loss in the playoffs. At a certain point it looked like a no-brainer to bring Wilson back on a new deal in 2025, but now that seems like a mistake the organization can't make.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Justin Fields warms up prior to a playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Fields is younger, and clearly has more upside than Wilson. It will be interesting to see which player the organization decides to commit to, as Fields will certainly be the cheaper option. Wilson once seemed like he could command $30 million a year, but that price has definitely gone down. This is the biggest question in Pittsburgh for the 2025 offseason, and the organization could go in a different direction completely.
What do you want the Steelers to do at quarterback? Let us know in the comments below!
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