The Pittsburgh Steelers entered Wild Card Weekend as a team desperate to prove they can still compete when it matters most. Fans have been fed up with merely keeping their head above water by not having a losing season, and it's time for results.
Unfortunately, Pittsburgh's playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens confirmed our fears about Mike Tomlin and the state of this team.
The Steelers were on a four-game losing streak before taking the field at M&T Bank Stadium for a do-or-die game. Tomlin knew he couldn't afford to play a conservative game plan against the league's highest-powered offense, but that's exactly what happened.
At the end of the first half, the Steelers were outscored 21-0 and the game already felt as if it was over. Pittsburgh fought back in the second half to make it a two-score game but ultimately came up well short in the 28-14 loss.
Mike Tomlin needs to be in the hot seat after another Steelers playoff loss
When will the lack of playoff success be enough for Steelers president Art Rooney II? We all know Mike Tomlin is a good football coach, but things are beyond stale in Pittsburgh right now.
The Steelers have lost five straight playoff games by multiple scores. Now they continue their eight-year drought without a playoff win. What's the plan? Just run it back next year and hope the postseason yields different results?
Arthur Smith—who was hired to be a run-first offensive coordinator—was only able to muster up 29 rushing yards on 2.6 yards per carry against the Ravens in the Wild Card loss. His offense found a way to be less efficient running the football and worse in play-action than it was under Matt Canada last year.
Quarterback Russell Wilson, meanwhile, finished with excellent box score numbers after completing 20 of 29 passes for 270 yards and a pair of touchdowns. However, he gained just 44 passing yards in the first half while the team didn't put any points on the board until the third quarter.
Defensively, the Steelers were a mess as they allowed Derrick Henry to carry the ball for 100 yards in the first half and 186 on the game with two touchdowns. The league's highest-paid defense looked like anything but that in Baltimore.
There is no shortage of fingers to point for this loss, but after nearly a decade without playoff success, Mike Tomlin needs to be in the hot seat. The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't come close to being competitive in the playoffs, and this nightmare needs to end.