Almost 10 years have passed since the Pittsburgh Steelers won a playoff game. A franchise once synonymous with Super Bowl appearances and postseason glory now owns one of the league’s longest playoff losing streaks.
The streak continued when the Steelers lost at home to the Houston Texans last season after winning their first AFC North title in several years. ESPN’s Chris Russo doesn’t expect their fortunes to change much this year.
“I suspect they’ll be a similar type of team. You know, [Mike] McCarthy’s a good replacement for [Mike] Tomlin. I think they win 10 games,” Russo said Wednesday on ESPN’s First Take. “I expect Pittsburgh to be in the mix for the AFC North.”
“In the mix” is about all the Steelers have been in the last decade. They’ve had strong, decent, and very mediocre regular seasons. But the result has been the same over and over again. In each of the past three seasons, Pittsburgh has won 10 games, made the playoffs, and swiftly exited after the Wild Card Round.
As sad as it might be to write, a playoff victory now has to be seen as a successful season for this team. And to Russo, it’s something that might be on the horizon.
“I wouldn’t rule it out, I mean, you can’t rule it out. I would rule out a Super Bowl; I don’t think that. But could they win the division, host a playoff game, win a game, and get in the divisionals? Two games? I don’t see them in the [conference] championship game, let’s put it that way,” Russo said.
First and foremost, even a single playoff win would require Pittsburgh to improve. In the Steelers’ last three playoff games, they’ve been handled in Buffalo and Baltimore, then at home against Houston. The Steelers weren’t in control of any of those games.
However, the team has improved on paper. They have more depth at receiver and along the offensive line. They’ve added some notable names to the secondary, and Patrick Graham leading the defense could rejuvenate that unit. If the coaching staff can get the most out of this roster, there’s certainly enough quality for a playoff win.
The conference has also been relatively open recently. With Kansas City regressing, there wasn’t a true dominant team in the AFC last season. If the conference is similar this year, the Steelers might be in position to actually win a playoff game, which Russo thinks is possible.
Jake Brockhoff
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