BALTIMORE — Security DeShon Elliott did not mince phrases after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 28-14 AFC wild-card loss Saturday night time.
Regardless of being with the group for just one season, Elliott was clear in his frustration with the Steelers’ cycle of futility: a regular-season document above .500 adopted by a one-and-done playoff stint.
“I do know that previously we have performed properly to start with of the season, after which we simply s— the mattress on the finish, and similar s— occurred this yr,” Elliott stated after the Steelers’ sixth playoff loss in eight seasons. “Closed the season out on a five-game shedding streak, together with the playoffs. So we received to determine what’s the issue. We received to determine how you can get higher. We received to determine how you can get previous that time. We received to determine how you can end robust in seasons to enter the playoffs.”
The Steelers have taken totally different routes to get thus far every year, however the vacation spot is similar. Of their two most up-to-date playoff appearances previous to the 2024 season, the Steelers rallied from gradual begins to clinch a playoff berth within the final week of the season. In 2020, they began 11-0 earlier than shedding 4 of their closing 5. And in 2017, they received the AFC North and hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars after a first-round bye. But, every of these appearances ended the identical means because the Steelers’ season concluded Saturday night time in Baltimore: a loss of their lone playoff sport.
“I am simply assessing what transpired tonight,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin stated when requested about their sample of one-and-dones within the playoffs. “As I advised you guys earlier within the week, these are my luggage, not this collective’s luggage. And so my power is on that group in there and what they had been prepared to present and the journey that we have been on this yr and positively it got here to a disappointing finish tonight.”
Saturday night time was a rerun of the identical nightmare that performed out in every of these postseason losses. The Steelers fell behind early and trailed 21-0 at halftime, marking their second-largest halftime playoff deficit behind the 25-point gap to the Browns in 2020.
“Dropping sucks,” stated edge rusher T.J. Watt, who did not document a sort out or sack and had 5 quarterback pressures. “Dropping 5 in a row to complete the season out sucks. Felt like we had a very good week of prep. Felt like we had been prepared for this one. We weren’t. We weren’t in a position to cease the run. Have not been in a position to cease the run. We weren’t in a position to get it fastened. So, it has been tough final month of soccer.”
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Relationship again to the 2016 AFC Championship Recreation loss to the New England Patriots, the Steelers have been outscored by a mixed 96 factors and outgained by 641 yards of their previous six playoff losses. “It is robust in a sport, however cannot whine about it,” stated defensive sort out Cameron Heyward, who has been on the workforce for the previous six playoff losses. “They’ll make performs, however we’ve got to make our personal performs, and we didn’t try this.”
The Ravens started making these performs of their opening possession when MVP candidate Lamar Jackson and operating again Derrick Henry mixed for 71 speeding yards throughout a drive that ended with a 15-yard Rashod Bateman landing catch. The Ravens had much more success operating the ball on their second scoring drive after they solely rushed the ball throughout the 98-yard sequence, which was capped by Henry’s 8-yard landing. By the tip of the night time, the Ravens put up 299 speeding yards on a once-stout Steelers run protection.
“Having 300 yards speeding on you is worse than having 300 yards passing,” Elliott stated. “It was like a will. They positively put belt to butt right this moment.”
As has been the case throughout the Steelers’ four-game shedding streak to finish the common season, the defensive gamers struggled to verbalize what wanted to vary, not solely in Saturday night time’s loss, but additionally in a season-ending slide and the current stretch of playoff losses.
“It is too recent,” Watt stated. “I do not know. I haven’t got the solutions. Clearly, if I had the solutions, I’d’ve performed one thing in a different way this week. I felt like we had a very good week, good week of prep. Felt like we had a comparatively wholesome set of men, particularly defensively, put the pads on. I felt like we had a bodily follow week and did not correlate.”
Watt later added: “If I had the reply, we would not be right here proper now. I’ll have to have a look within the mirror and have some conversations, however I haven’t got the solutions.”
Although they could not put a finger on the required fixes, gamers who spoke after the sport unanimously stated the issue is not Tomlin.
“I do not fear about Mike’s message,” Heyward stated. “I fear about our approach and our execution. That is what I am actually fearful about. I simply want we had performed quite a bit higher. It isn’t a message factor, it isn’t that is groundbreaking, however there was alternatives available, and we did not seize something.”
