4 reasons Steelers would have been embarrassed in the NFL playoffs
By Tommy Jaggi
2. Steelers aren’t built to overcome great teams
One of the biggest reasons why the Pittsburgh Steelers would have gotten embarrassed in the NFL playoffs this year is that they just aren’t built to overcome great teams. This isn’t as much of a knock on Pittsburgh as it is a statement of how talented other teams are in the postseason.
While Mike Tomlin’s team did make strides down the stretch, their best games came against formidable opponents that we knew never stood a chance in contending for the playoffs this year. Their wins since they bye came against the Saints, Colts, Falcons, Panthers, Raiders, Browns, and Ravens (with Tyler Huntly at quarterback).
If we evaluate this team against good competition, the results are hard to stomach. Against talented playoff teams like the Bills, Bengals (twice), and Eagles this year, the Steelers were 1-3 and were outscored 69 to 130 in these games. Their only win of the four coming all the way back in Week 1 against Cincinnati.
This isn’t just a problem on offense. While the defense has some studs in T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Cameron Heyward, the depth is lousy. With an awful group of coverage linebackers and unathletic cornerbacks and they just aren’t built to stop good quarterbacks. The results would have been the same in the playoffs against these teams.