The Pittsburgh Steelers have lost three of their last four games, but this latest contest is easily the worst of the year thus far. They had virtually zero ability to move the ball offensively until a garbage time touchdown late in the game, as they lost by a final score of 25-10.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) attempts to throw a pass in a Week 10 game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Inglewood, California.
It is very hard to find a positive takeaway in a game like this, and many fans are either hitting the panic button, or are very close to it. This kind of performance can't happen again, or else all hope will be lost for this team this season, and the 2025 campaign will have a very sour, but familiar ending.
It's not just the fans that are worried about the Steelers either. Former Super Bowl champion Trai Essex voiced his frustrations with the team recently while making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan.
"This team is so Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," Essex said. "And it's so frustrating as a fan to watch because I don't see the potential. We're racing to mediocrity once again, and it sucks being a fan knowing that this year has so much parody in the NFL, and it feels like anybody could take it, but I don't feel like we're one of them right now."
This feeling is something that many fans within Steeler Nation have begun to call "The Standard." The Steelers always seem to be above .500, and they sometimes make the playoffs, but the result is usually the same. The standard way of ending the season is failing to win a single playoff game as of late. That is not greatness. That is mediocrity, and that is exactly what Pittsburgh is at this point.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin looks on as his team loses another playoff game at the end of the 2024 season to the AFC North arch rival Baltimore Ravens.
After games like the Steelers' latest one in Week 10, many people would mock others for saying this team has a chance of doing anything in January. Even with all the wild twists and turns in the 2025 NFL season, Pittsburgh's inability to get out of its own way has been as consistent as it's ever been. The dreaded 9-8 finish is within sight, and it may or may not come with a playoff game.
To make matters worse, the Steelers have a tough schedule up ahead. They still have four division games left, including two against the AFC North favorites, the Baltimore Ravens. Mixed in there are a couple contests against the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills. Pittsburgh will have to make a bunch of statement wins to make any sort of attempt to shake the mediocre label.
Steelers Fans Demand Accountability For Mediocre Teams
This is exactly why so many fans have turned on Head Coach Mike Tomlin, and it's also why even his former players from his Super Bowl squads are struggling to defend him anymore. He has some great qualities, but it's clearly not enough to get over the team's recent hump. Constantly racing to mediocrity has become the standard, and there are not enough veteran players in the league that can change that.
Benjamin B. Braun / Post-Gazette
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin and Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh meet near midfield to shake hands after a professional football game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD.
When players, assistant coaches, and even the general manager change over the course of nearly a decade without any changes truly being made in the postseason, it's hard to not put a lot of the blame on the head coach. The team may get a few wins here and there, but the truly important games always end up in duds as of late.
What do you think about Trai Essex's comments on the Steelers? Is Pittsburgh stuck in mediocrity? Is that the new standard? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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