How the December stumble has affected the postseason
The 2024 Steelers completed the regular season with the worst finish ever for a Pittsburgh playoff team. Their 0-4 finish has never been matched by any Steelers team that qualified for the postseason. If history is any indication, this team will have a slim chance of advancing far in the single-elimination tournament. Let’s look at some of the other poor finishes for playoff-caliber teams.
2020: 1-4 finish
This was the first team in franchise history to start 11-0, but the offense had a problem scoring points, losing four of their last five. Pittsburgh won the AFC North division despite the late-season collapse. The playoffs brought the Cleveland Browns to Heinz Field as five-point underdogs. But five Pittsburgh turnovers were impossible to overcome, and the Steelers lost 37-48.
The first play of Browns vs Steelers in the 2020 playoffs pic.twitter.com/DQRKoqQYP9
— ERstar (@ERstar0712) June 6, 2024
2007: 1-3 finish
After starting 9-3 with a league-leading defense that included two shutout performances, the Steelers gave up an average of 28.5 points in their final four games, losing three. Pittsburgh still won the division, giving them a post-season home game. However, Jacksonville came to Heinz Field favored by 2.5 points. With the game on the line on fourth-and-two, David Garrard converted against the NFL’s best defense, putting the Jaguars into field-goal range for the game-winner.
100 moments in 100 days!
100 days until kickoff — today’s moment in #Jaguars history is David Garrard’s playoff scramble against the #Steelers! pic.twitter.com/NXDQUzJjY5
— Big Cat Country (@BigCatCountry) May 31, 2019
1996: 1-3 finish
After averaging 23.5 points per game in the first 12 weeks of this season, the offense couldn’t crack 17 points in the final month. Although they lost three of their last four, Pittsburgh secured the division crown at 10-6.
It looked like the anemic offense could continue in the playoffs, as Mike Tomzcak threw a pick-six to let the Indianapolis Colts back into the Wild Card game. But the Steelers defense pitched a shutout in the second half, and the offense had four scoring drives to win 42-14. Pittsburgh’s playoff journey ended a week later in the fog game at Foxboro. Drew Bledsoe and the Patriots delivered a 28-3 whopping.
1993: 1-2 finish
Despite having offensive Pro Bowlers in center Dermotti Dawson, running back Barry Foster, and tight end Eric Green, this team could not score points late in the season, losing two of their last three, before clinching the final Wild Card spot in the last moments of a defensive blockbuster with the Cleveland Browns.
In the playoffs, Pittsburgh traveled to Kansas City as a 7.5-point underdog. The Steelers led after three quarters until Joe Montana conducted a fourth-quarter comeback to send it into overtime where the Chiefs ultimately won.
1983: 1-4 finish
This was a unique team whose MVP was kicker Gary Anderson. They lost Terry Bradshaw to injury in what would be his final season. Pittsburgh turned to quarterback Cliff Stoudt and Franco Harris, who surpassed O.J. Simpson to become the NFL’s second-highest career rusher. After starting 9-2, the Steelers lost four of their final five games, unable to score more than 17 points in any of their losses.
Despite the slump, they won the AFC Central division. In the post-season, Pittsburgh traveled to Los Angeles as seven-point underdogs to face the Raiders where their offensive woes continued. Stoudt threw an early pick-six while Pittsburgh’s boastful defense gave up 188 rushing yards and four touchdowns in their 10-38 loss.
1973: 2-3 finish
This team had one of the greatest passing defenses of all time. Their opposing quarterback rating during the regular season was 33.1, an NFL record for the Super Bowl era. They also had 37 interceptions in just 14 games. But after allowing more than 20 points just once in their first nine games, the defense hit a three-game skid, giving up 23, 21, and 30 points in consecutive losses. They returned to form for the final two games, but the losing streak cost Pittsburgh the division title. They settled for a Wild Card spot and traveled to Oakland for the playoffs. The Steelers trailed the entire game as the Raiders dominated the line of scrimmage, rushing 55 times for 232 yards and two touchdowns. Pittsburgh was one-and-done, losing 14-33.