The Steelers' offense simply isn't good enough
One thing has remained consistent from the start of the Matt Canada era until now: Pittsburgh's offense simply has not been good enough. In fact, in terms of points per game, the Steelers have gotten progressively worse in each of the past three seasons.
There's no question that quarterback Mason Rudolph gave this lifeless offense a bit of a spark when he took over as the starter in Week 15. However, it was unfair to ask Pittsburgh's former third-string quarterback to go toe-to-toe with Josh Allen.
As good as Rudolph did when it came to hanging tough in the pocket and delivering accurate passes to his receivers to move the chains, he still had a completely unspectacular game on paper -- recording 229 yards on just 5.9 yards per attempt to go with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Likewise, his 80.0 passer rating in this contest and 41.5 QBR were nothing to write home about.
It wasn't all Rudolph's fault. George Pickens missed a few big opportunities on catchable footballs, while the offensive line was inconsistent at best in offering protection. At the end of the day, however, we all know that the Pittsburgh Steelers just don't have enough talent at the quarterback position to give themselves a fighting shot in the playoffs against guys like Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes.
This offense hasn't been good enough for years, and their performance in the Wild Card game against the Bills is exactly what we have come to expect from this underwhelming squad.