After another postseason disaster, Steelers fans are left disappointed and frustrated with the incompetence of their favorite team when it matters most. The pitiful Wild Card loss to the Ravens means Mike Tomlin will continue his eight-year drought without a playoff win.
Pittsburgh showed promise in the middle of the season, shortly after switching to quarterback Russell Wilson. However, their journey to the top didn't last. The Steelers crumbled during the most important month of the season and lost five straight games (including the playoffs) to close out the year.
But why did the Steelers fall apart? Were they really that bad?
Sadly, Pittsburgh's 2024 statistics show why this team never stood a chance to compete in the playoffs. When we look back on this season in review, the Steelers were collectively a middle-of-the-pack team at best.
#Steelers team rankings from 2024 season: #SteelersNation #NFL pic.twitter.com/FncTEJERen
— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) January 13, 2025
On offense, things went from promising to downright ugly. As a result, Pittsburgh finished 19th in points per game, 23rd in total yards, 25th in yards per play, 25th in rushing yards per attempt, 14th in passing yards per attempt, 20th in FTN's DVOA, and 20th in offense EPA/play.
The average of these rankings proves the Steelers were right around the 21st-best offense in the league during the 2024 season. Considering there are 32 teams in the league and only 14 playoff teams, this isn't close to where fans were hoping they would rank on offense.
The Steelers' defense was much better than their offense this past season, but this unit still left some to be desired. Pittsburgh ranked 8th in both points per game and defense DVOA while finishing 9th in defense EPA/play. Unfortunately, Teryl Austin's unit ranked 15th in yards allowed and 16th in opponent yards per play on the season.
Steelers fared as well in the playoffs as their stats suggested
As a team, the Pittsburgh Steelers finished 15th in total DVOA (Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average)—an advanced statistic that breaks down every play and adjusts for opponents, considers down and distance and compares to league averages.
The Steelers' DVOA suggests they weren't one of the top 14 teams in the NFL during the 2024 season... and if they aren't one of the top 14 teams, it was never reasonable to expect them to make a splash in the playoffs against the best teams in the league.
We were hopeful that a new quarterback and offensive coordinator would have made a difference for the Steelers this year, but Russell Wilson and Arthur Smith didn't do enough to elevate this team to 'contender' status.
Sadly, it's just more of the same—keeping the non-losing streak alive only to get squashed by better teams in the NFL Playoffs. The Pittsburgh Steelers performed about as well as their 2024 season rankings suggested they would.