If you recall, before the beginning of the 2024 season, not many football experts had figured the Steelers would factor into the playoff race, let alone possibly win the AFC North. Thus, the fact that they may have narrowly lost the AFC North title to the Ravens is not particularly bothersome.
Even those optimistic fans who figured Mike Tomlin would have another winning season figured they might still have 5 to 6 losses by the time they played Kansas City. Thus, the fact that they are now 10-6 is not even alarming.
Even the three consecutive losses to the Eagles, Ravens, and Chiefs are not problematic. Fans must have realized they would face an uphill battle winning in Philadelphia, something they have not done since the mid-1960s. Beating the Ravens in Baltimore is always a daunting task. When it comes to the Chiefs, they have replaced the Patriots as the juggernaut in the AFC.
The most bothersome aspect of the Steelers' Christmas Day loss
What is bothersome about the loss to the Chiefs is the Steelers' failure to knock off the top dog in games they need to win. In the Ben Roethlisberger era, time and time again, we saw Big Ben come out on the losing end of battles with Tom Brady, especially in playoff games. While the Steelers' game against the Chiefs was not technically a playoff game, it had playoff implications regarding seedings.
With their loss today, the Steelers lose the chance of hosting a playoff game. Plus, even if the Steelers manage an elusive playoff win, they could face the Chiefs again, but this time in Kansas City. The Steelers performance does not bode well in a rematch.
It would have been a great day for Steelers fans if the Steelers had at least eked out a win over the Chiefs. We hoped that Russell Wilson could do to Patrick Mahomes what we all wanted to see Big Ben do to Tom Brady once in a game with significant playoff implications.
Even if that did not happen, a close game would have been nice to give fans hope that if they met at Arrowhead Stadium in the next meeting, perhaps the Steelers could be capable of a playoff upset. Steeler fans did not even get that.
What Steelers fans got on Christmas Day was the Steelers' disintegration on national television. Sure, the Steelers had their moments when it appeared they might go toe to toe with the Chiefs, but time and time again, they sabotaged themselves. Darnell Washington's holding call wiped out a Steelers touchdown, even if the hold was slightly questionable.
Then Pat Freiermuth's fumble, another interception thrown by Russell Wilson. The Steelers' offensive mistakes could not be offset by defensive success as in their earlier games this season.
In the end, the Steelers fans still wait for a win over an AFC juggernaut, if only to provide some vindication for all of Big Ben's losses to Tom Brady. However, even worse, another late-season collapse leaves Steelers fans scratching their head, wondering if the Steelers could lose yet another first-round playoff game.