The Pittsburgh Steelers ended the 2024 NFL season on a five-game losing streak, which included another playoff game where they went down by at least 21 points. This time, they managed to only allow a touchdown in the second half as they lost 28-14 to the hated Baltimore Ravens.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Justin Fields runs with the football during Week 12 against the Cleveland Browns.
Ken Carman, an analyst for the Cleveland Browns, used his own lowly team to insult the effort that the Steelers put up to end the 2024 campaign.
Watched BAL-PIT over again. I’m still shocked at the Steelers performance. I’ve watched BAD, 3-4-5 win Browns teams in December play much harder.
— Ken Carman (@KenCarman) January 13, 2025
For reference, the 2024 Browns were one of just a few teams to not win in the last month of the season. They ended the year on a six-game losing streak. Their last win was, ironically, Week 12 against the Steelers. Two weeks later, they fell to that same team. After that, none of their games were very competitive, as they even failed to cover a 20.5 spread in their final game.
The difference, however, is that they lacked talent across the board. Dorian Thompson-Robinson was given a chance to develop as a quarterback, but he failed to rise to the occasion. It got so bad that the Browns signed Bailey Zappe to play in the season finale. They ended their 2024 campaign with a 3-14 record, but they at least went out and made an attempt, as Jerry Jeudy still managed to build on his breakout season with the quarterback carousel around him.
Sue Ogrocki / AP
Browns' Dorian Thompson-Robinson tries to shake off Steelers' TJ Watt.
A 3-14 team is expected to have a terrible streak. The 10-3 Steelers, however, were looking to win the division and, if they played their cards right, maybe even compete for the top seed in the AFC. They had all kinds of talent, especially defensively. Surely, they wouldn't fall off the face of the map.
The Steelers ended the season with a 10-7 record. The offense couldn't move the ball with or without George Pickens as the defense let their opponents do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted during important stretches of the season. They were playing the blame game more than they actually made plays on the field.
In one month, the Steelers went from Super Bowl contenders to being questioned if their 18-year head coach is actually good enough or not. Everyone was blasting the team's effort at the end of the year, both from inside the organization and outside. Everyone has every right to question this unit and if they actually care about winning.
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Steelers safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick stands on the playing surface at then-Heinz Field during warmups prior to a 2021 regular season matchup in Pittsburgh, PA.
Steelers Are Re-Writing Their Own History In A Negative Way
For decades, the Steelers have been known as an organization of greatness, where "good enough" didn't exist and anything less than a great season was seen as a total failure. Now, they are known for being content with "The Standard," and never doing more than they have to to protect Tomlin's reputation.
When the Browns consistently show more effort than you, there are serious issues. They have a history of being the joke of the league. They have only made the playoffs three times since their revival, with their one postseason win coming against Tomlin's Steelers where, once again, the entire team looked like they were checked out on the opening snap.
The Browns typically see eight-win seasons as accomplishments and progress, while the Steelers used to strive for Super Bowls. When you are giving significantly less of an effort than the NFL's personal punching bag, there needs to be some major changes. Play like you want to win, not like you want to join the Browns in Cancun in a week.
What do you think about Carman calling out the Steelers' poor effort? Let us know in the comments.
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