Steelers' Own Arrogance Led To Their Heartbreaking Defeat In 2020 Wild Card Round

In 2020, the Pittsburgh Steelers had an incredible start to their season, winning 11 straight games. Though a few games had close endings, they were also blowing teams out. The offense looked great, led by Ben Roethlisberger's resurgence, and the defense had some flaws, but was elite. As they entered the second half of the season, they began to collapse, losing four of their last five games going into the playoffs. Injuries certainly played a role in the collapse, but the roster's flaws started getting exploited — continuing a trend that Mike Tomlin never ended up breaking. To this day, the team hasn't won a playoff game since. 

In the 2021 Wild Card Round, the team played the Cleveland Browns. The Browns had made a ton of moves before the 2020 campaign, believing that season could be their next big step. 

That playoff game felt like a for-sure win for the Black and Gold. Earlier in that year, the Steelers steamrolled the Browns 38-7, and in the last game of the regular season, they narrowly lost to them while playing their backups. Nothing in the postseason game went right for Pittsburgh, as the game seemed to be lost on the opening snap. One former Brown who led their team in receiving yards that game, gave his insight into the matchup, which will leave Steeler Nation sick. 

Former Browns' wide receiver Jarvis Landry recently appeared on the show Deebo & Joe, where he talked about his experience as a Brown and even their 2021 wild-card matchup. Landry mentioned that the Steelers let them into the playoffs in their Week 17 matchup, during which the team rested its starters. He also said that the Browns players took that personally, and it fueled the fire that led to their blowout win. 

"It's almost like y'all let us in the playoffs because y'all didn't really play most of y'all's starters," Landry explained. "And then the next week, we played y'all in the Wild Card Game, and that sh*t was so personal to us, bruh, and I think the Steelers looked at it like, maybe looked past us; but, that game was so freaking personal, bruh."

Tomlin has always had an air of arrogance, and his tactics have even been criticized. It wasn't just him, though; former Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster had his infamous quote, "The Browns is the Browns", that would go on to haunt Pittsburgh. Smith-Schuster would quickly fall out of favor with Steeler fans after the 2020 season and only play one more season in the Black and Gold. Now the organization looks a lot different, with a new coaching staff in town.

Steelers' New Coaching Staff Can't Follow In Tomlin's Footsteps

Under Tomlin, the franchise tended to play down to lower competition. The team refused to be consistent when contests came up against organizations that were inferior.

Mike McCarthy must take lesser competition more seriously than Tomlin seemed to. Not only are these crucial losses, but they add up when playoff seeding comes around. In 2025, this very scenario may have cost the Steelers their first playoff win in nine years. 

In Week 17 during the 2025 season, the team lost to the Browns, who were 3-12 at the time. If the Steelers had won the game, they would have clinched the AFC North and would have been able to rest their starters for their Week 18 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. The offense managed just six points, and they lost 13-6. Perhaps resting the starter for the final game of the regular season could have been a difference maker. 

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