The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 season came to an abrupt end with a humbling 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on January 11, 2025. Steeler Nation had been hopeful, but had plenty of reasons for worry going into the Wild Card playoff matchup against their most bitter rival. The regular season ended with four consecutive losses, and the Steelers entered the postseason with no momentum.
Stephanie Scarbrough / AP
Steelers' Russell Wilson and Najee Harris following playoff loss to Ravens.
Saturday’s loss meant yet another one-and-done season for the Steelers, and many place the blame for the postseason winless streak on Head Coach Mike Tomlin. Chris Simms of Pro Football Talk has a different take entirely. On Monday, Simms discussed the situation.
"The problem with the Pittsburgh Steelers, yeah," Simms began. "Something drastic has to be done on the roster. Just think about what teams are thinking of right now. 'Oh no, Pittsburgh’s coming to town with Russell Wilson and Najee Harris and George Pickens, who might show up or might not.' That’s scaring nobody in football."
Simms is presumably not alone in his opinion, but the pain associated with yet another playoff loss has motivated many to point blame mainly at Tomlin. Does Simms maybe have a point? What kind of roster did the Steelers take into Baltimore’s M&T Stadium?
Russell Wilson is 36 years old, and although he’s a possible future Hall of Famer, his two previous NFL teams saw fit to let him leave. Najee Harris was in the final year of his rookie deal, and the Steelers did not pick up his fifth-year option. George Pickens is WR1, but he’s battled injuries late in the year, and his most recent performances were, to put it nicely, modest.
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Steelers' George Pickens after being ruled down against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2024.
All that notwithstanding, the main problem with Saturday night’s offense was in the trenches. The Steelers’ offensive line couldn’t clear any lanes for the ground game, nor could it protect Wilson long enough on a consistent basis to get a pass game started. Why? A few reasons, including personnel and injuries:
- 2024 1st Round Draft Pick OT Troy Fautanu suffered a season-ending knee injury prior to the 2024 opener;
- Starting OG James Daniels tore his Achilles in Week 4 at Indianapolis;
- Starting OG Mason McCormick broke his hand in Week 18, and was unable to play in the Wild Card game;
- Starting OT Broderick Jones and OC Zach Frazier were in the lineup, but back-up OT Calvin Anderson filled in for a hobbled Dan Moore Jr.
The Ravens’ defense established itself as one of the league’s best this year as the season went on. The Steelers' effort to move the ball against this group was going to be a challenge either way, but especially with 3/5 of the intended starting offensive line injured and unable to play.
Steelers Were Outmatched From The Start By Ravens
The Ravens moved the ball seemingly at will against the Steelers. Why couldn’t the Steelers’ stop them? Many believe the Steelers were battling nagging injuries, suffering the flu, and on the back-end, a young and frequently leaky secondary did little to assist in run support. All of this added up to a sobering, season-ending loss at the hands of a bitter rival.
What unfolded Saturday night was quite a bit different than the hopes some Steelers fans formed. In the run up to the game, Tomlin and Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith explained that they would explore every avenue available in an effort to secure a playoff victory. Smith explained the mindset using the phrase “burn the boats.”
Steelers.com
The promises to unload the playbook and utilize Justin Fields more allowed the Steeler faithful to become more optimistic, but that would be for not. Saturday night in Baltimore, the Steelers gave up nearly 300 rushing yards, while only rushing for 29 yards themselves, in a loss far more demoralizing than the 28-14 final score.
Is Chris Simms right? Join the discussion below and tell us what you think.
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