Steelers need to score points in the 1st quarter against the Packers

Playoffs

Looking at the playoffs now and going back to 2004, the Steelers are 10-5  when scoring in the first quarter. When they did not score in the first quarter; they are 3-4. When not scoring in the first quarter, their last playoff win goes back to 2016, and then two victories in their 2005 postseason 6th seed berth.

As in the regular season, if the Steelers did not score first, they only scored points in the first quarter of 3 of 9 playoff games. When they did score first in the postseason, they only failed to score in the first quarter one time of 13 postseason games.

Point Differential

Now let’s look at point differentials when the Steelers do and do not score in the first quarter.

Starting just by going back to the 2018 season, there are perhaps six games the Steelers would not have won by scoring in the first quarter as the points differential was greater than 11 points.  Two are marginal as the differential in the loss was by 9 and 10 points.

Looking at the margins less than nine points is where it could have made a difference. In 2018 their tie could have been a victory with one score of any type in the first quarter, and the Steelers could have had two additional wins just by scoring a field goal.