The Pittsburgh Steelers have been nothing more than mediocre since their last Super Bowl appearance. Since that heartbreaking championship loss to the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh has only three postseason victories under its belt. Much of the disappointing playoff outings come down to serious issues within the organization, but another reason why the Steelers haven't been successful in the last decade is because of the pure dominance by the New England Patriots.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick led New England to 16 playoff wins, three of which resulted in them hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. Compared to Pittsburgh's three total playoff wins, the Patriots were in the midst of an all-time dynasty while the Steelers remain stuck in mediocrity.
While having arguably the greatest quarterback and head coaching duo in NFL history is likely the biggest reason why the Patriots had massive success, a former player of both franchises recently explained how the two differ from one another. Eric Rowe, who spent parts of 2023 and 2024 with the Steelers, detailed how the work habits in Pittsburgh aren't comparable to New England.
"It was more about what the guys did outside of practice. In New England, they all studied outside of practice," Rowe said. "They took it home. I didn't get that same feeling from the other teams, like Pittsburgh. There were some that did in Pittsburgh, but the majority of the players didn't do it, like they did in New England. They didn't take it in like they did in New England."
Rowe spent three seasons with the Patriots from 2016 to 2018 and earned two Super Bowl rings in that span (before going to play for the Miami Dolphins for four seasons). Rowe was signed by Pittsburgh late in the 2023 regular season when the majority of the defensive backs were sidelined with injuries. During his first game of action in the black and gold, Rowe secured a big-time interception against the Cincinnati Bengals when Mason Rudolph was given his first start of the season.
Rowe's comments about the lack of seriousness and competitiveness in Pittsburgh compared to the Patriots is extremely disappointing, especially considering the way Head Coach Mike Tomlin likes to go about his business. It goes to show the type of problems the Steelers are still dealing with in today's era. If Tomlin and the Steelers want to get back to their championship-caliber days, it starts with the extra effort that Rowe mentioned.
Rowe also said that some of Pittsburgh's players "took it home" with them, and we can easily assume those players would include the defensive captains like Cam Heyward, TJ Watt, and Minkah Fitzpatrick. It's going to take a team effort, all players and coaches, to see any changes in regards to winning meaningful football games down the stretch again.
Steelers And Patriots Both Now Very Far From Getting Back To Super Bowl
Both franchises suffered great losses when Brady decided to hit free agency in 2020 and Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season. Since both franchise quarterbacks departed, the Patriots have been one of the worst teams in the AFC. The Steelers haven't gotten any closer to getting to a Super Bowl since Roethlisberger retired, but they haven't taken any serious steps to get closer either.
The Patriots have at least taken a swing on Drake Maye at quarterback, and his future in the NFL seems promising. The Steelers still don't have their next franchise quarterback in line, and they don't even have their starter for 2025 under contract.
