The Pittsburgh Steelers saw their season come to an abrupt end with a 28-14 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC wild card game. The defeat, marked by a dominant Ravens rushing attack, concluded the Steelers' campaign on a sour note, extending their losing streak to five games, including the playoffs. The Steelers trailed 21-0 at halftime, their second-largest deficit in a playoff game, as they struggled to contain the Ravens' ground game.
The Ravens set the tone early with an impressive opening drive, amassing 71 rushing yards courtesy of quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry. Baltimore continued to exploit Pittsburgh's defensive weaknesses, racking up 299 rushing yards in total. The Steelers' defense, which failed to record a sack or tackle throughout the game, could only manage five quarterback pressures. Star edge rusher T.J. Watt was notably absent from the stat sheet, failing to record even a tackle.
"I don't know. I don't have the answers. Clearly. If I had the answers, I would've done something differently this week." – T.J. Watt
The Steelers' defense appeared stumped by their inability to stop the Ravens' relentless running game. Players expressed frustration and a lack of solutions post-game.
"If I had the answer, we wouldn't be here right now." – T.J. Watt
Pittsburgh's offensive struggles mirrored their defensive woes, as they failed to muster a sufficient response to Baltimore's strong running game. The Ravens capitalized on their rushing dominance with an eight-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry on their second scoring drive, exclusively relying on their ground attack.
"Having 300 yards rushing on you is worse than having 300 yards passing," – DeShon Elliott
The defeat highlighted a troubling trend for the Steelers, who have been outscored by a combined 96 points and outgained by 641 yards in their last six playoff losses. The loss also marked Pittsburgh's sixth playoff defeat in the past eight seasons, underscoring a cycle of postseason futility despite regular-season success.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin did not address the team's persistent pattern of one-and-done playoff exits following the game. However, players unanimously supported Tomlin, indicating that the issues lie elsewhere within the team.
"I worry about our technique and our execution. That's what I'm really worried about." – Cam Heyward
Team captain Cam Heyward echoed the sentiment that execution and technique were at the heart of their problems rather than any motivational deficiencies.
"It's not a message thing, it's not that's groundbreaking, but there was opportunities to be had, and we didn't seize anything." – Cam Heyward
The Steelers' season ended in disappointment, with safety DeShon Elliott summarizing the general sentiment within the team.
"Losing sucks" and "Losing five in a row to finish the season out sucks." – DeShon Elliott
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