The Pittsburgh Steelers ended their 2024 regular season in as brutal of a way as possible. When the Steelers were 10-3, they were flying high, and Mike Tomlin, Arthur Smith, and Russell Wilson were thriving. Then the Steelers lost four straight, lost the division, and are now in the Wild Card against the Baltimore Ravens for round one of the playoffs.
The Steelers will see the Ravens on Saturday night for a chance to end their playoff drought. It’s never ideal to head into the playoffs with no momentum, but the good news is that Pittsburgh did take care of what they needed to prior to make sure they punched their ticket. The Steelers did have a brutal 2024 schedule, especially towards the end, which does explain why they regressed so much.
Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger shared his playoff predictions on Monday during his podcast posted on the Channel Seven YouTube page. Roethlisberger had to be honest when he made his pick. Despite his love for the Steelers and the city of Pittsburgh, he couldn’t ignore the struggles the team faced down the stretch. The former quarterback knows better than most how critical momentum and execution are in January, and the Steelers simply haven’t shown enough of either over the past month.
"Ravens," Roethlisberger said. "Sorry."
While Roethlisberger’s prediction might sting for Steelers fans, it comes from a place of experience and respect for the challenge ahead. The Ravens are a formidable opponent with their eyes set on a deep postseason run, and Pittsburgh will need to play their best game of the season to overcome them. For Tomlin, Wilson, and the rest of the team, Saturday night represents not just a chance to silence the doubters but to prove they can rise above adversity when it matters most.
Tomlin has been remarkably consistent in the regular season, but he hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016. The Steelers’ final four losses of the season were nothing short of shell-shocking, but the most concerning issue is the offense’s regression. Smith’s offensive scheme has been stagnant and overly predictable, with the Steelers repeatedly running on first and second down before attempting desperate passes on third. This approach played right into the hands of Cincinnati Bengals Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo, who thoroughly outcoached Smith. Ironically, Anarumo was fired shortly after—an indicator of just how poor Cincinnati’s defense had been throughout 2024.
Pittsburgh’s offense couldn’t even gain a single yard in critical moments, turning the ball over and suffering from brutal dropped passes. Tomlin often refers to these mistakes as routine plays not being made. While the Steelers have largely dominated the Ravens in recent matchups, the momentum between the two teams couldn’t be more different heading into this playoff showdown. The Steelers are stumbling into the postseason, while the Ravens are surging. Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson form a dynamic duo, with Jackson eager to shake off the narrative that he can’t perform in the playoffs.
Steelers' Mike Tomlin Just Has To Beat The Ravens To Turn The Momentum In Pittsburgh
That said, Tomlin knows how to beat the Ravens. The two teams split their 2024 series. Pittsburgh won the first meeting without scoring a single touchdown, relying on six field goals from Chris Boswell and some rare misses from Ravens kicker Justin Tucker. In their second matchup, Pittsburgh kept it close until a costly pick-six thrown by Wilson sealed their fate. If the Steelers want to pull off an upset on Saturday night, it’s going to require an extraordinary level of effort and focus for a full 60 minutes.
As Tomlin famously says, "If you’re a blinker, cut your eyelids off." The Steelers won’t be blinking under the bright lights, but they’ll need more than just resolve—they’ll need execution. Anything short of a victory, and Steeler Nation will have every reason to be frustrated with how this once-promising season unraveled.
