Pictured: the annual crash and burn of the Pittsburgh Steelers when they enter the playoffs, where they proceed to get shellacked

Without getting too political, how much of Barack Obama’s presidency do you remember? He has not been in office since January 20th, 2017, when he finished the last day of his second term. That feels like a long time ago, right?

Five days prior to Obama leaving office, the Steelers won a road playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs by a 18-16 margin. Who would have thought that, nine years later, the organization would not amass another playoff victory, whether the president was Donald Trump (the first time), Joe Biden, or Donald Trump (the second time)?

The Steelers have lost seven straight playoff games since their win against the Chiefs, starting with the AFC Championship game that next week against the New England Patriots, where they lost 36-17 to Tom Brady and crew.

Those seven-consecutive playoff losses were not particularly competitive. In fact, yesterday’s first-quarter Chris Boswell field goal comprised the first first-quarter points the Steelers had scored in the last six playoff games. Besides a 45-42 loss to Jacksonville in 2017 (where the score was closer than the game actually was), every loss was by eleven or more points. They also  have trailed for every snap in the second half in their last six postseason defeats, starting with the loss to the Jaguars. 

Starting slow is not a recipe for winning playoff games, as evidenced by the nine-year win drought. Still, yesterday’s game was only a one-point game heading into the fourth quarter, largely thanks to CJ Stroud’s three turnovers. 

The Texans’ defense, though, was phenomenal. They scored more points (12) than the Steelers (6) during last night’s 30-6 victory. They held Pittsburgh to a minuscule 175 yards of total offense, whereas Houston could gain 408. That 233-yard gap was the worst yardage differential in the history of the Steelers’ postseason exploits, per ESPN Insights. Along those lines, the 175 yards were the fewest for a Steelers’ playoff offense since the Harry S. Truman administration, when they only gained 145 yards against the Eagles in the franchise’s first-ever playoff game on December 21st, 1947.  

All of this is to say that the past decade has not been fruitful after the NFL regular season comes to a close. Since the Steelers last won a playoff game on January 15th, 2017, 28 different NFL head coaches have triumphed at least once in the postseason. Four have done so with multiple teams (Doug Pederson, Mike Vrabel, Dan Quinn, and Sean Payton, per Marcus Mosher of Pro Football Focus). 

It has just been ugly. No matter the quarterback or the coordinators, the story remained the same. So, when I was notified earlier that Mike Tomlin “stepped down” as the Steelers’ head coach, I was greeted with mixed emotions. Of course, the prevailing sentiment was one of surprise, as I did not expect any significant changes considering how the organization usually operates. I was also grateful for what Tomlin has accomplished over the past 19 years—mostly, making every Steelers game a meaningful watch—and excited for what lies ahead with the promise of new leadership. 

There are numerous areas of concern regarding the hiring of a new head coach. Who is going to want the job? It is not one of the more appealing openings. As of right now, the team has no starting quarterback (Aaron Rodgers is a free agent and 42 years old), only one good wide receiver (DK Metcalf, if he actually catches the ball), an aging and overpaid defense, and a first-round pick in the twenties. 

The one redeeming factor about the Steelers’ organization is job stability—they have only had three coaches in the Super Bowl era. The franchise is also expected to have just over $39 million in cap space in 2026, the tenth-highest total in the NFL. 

Tomlin leaving is not enough. Arthur Smith and Teryl Austin both need to be fired, as both the offense and defense showed a continued inconsistency throughout the season and often sputtered when needed the most. They need to bring in an offensive mind that actually understands the modern game, not a dinosaur who replicates schemes from the 1990s. 

It would not be the worst thing in the world for this team to be bad for a few years and stockpile high draft picks. Being stuck in mediocrity plagued them for so many years that they were rarely able to draft high-end talent. A rebuild and a reset is probably the logical next step for this organization, and that starts with a malcontent with the current situation. 

This will be a very intriguing offseason, especially with the NFL draft being in Pittsburgh in 100 days. Let us hope the right guy is hired to steer the ship, and that this run of playoff appearances without a win comes to an end soon.