BALTIMORE — Security DeShon Elliott did not mince phrases after the Steelers’ 28-14 AFC wild-card loss to the Ravens on Saturday night time.
Regardless of being with the group for just one season, Elliott was clear in his frustration with the Steelers’ cycle of futility: a regular-season document above .500 adopted by a one-and-done playoff stint.
“I do know that previously we have performed properly to start with of the season, after which we simply s— the mattress on the finish, and similar s— occurred this 12 months,” Elliott mentioned after the Steelers’ sixth straight playoff loss. “Closed the season out on a five-game dropping streak, together with the playoffs. So we acquired to determine what’s the issue. We acquired to determine methods to get higher. We acquired to determine methods to get previous that time. We acquired to determine methods to end robust in seasons to enter the playoffs.”
The Steelers have taken totally different routes to get so far annually, however the vacation spot is similar. Of their two most up-to-date playoff appearances earlier than the 2024 season, the Steelers rallied from gradual begins to clinch a playoff berth within the remaining week of the season. In 2020, they began 11-0 earlier than dropping 4 of their remaining 5. And in 2017, they received the AFC North and hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars after a first-round bye.
But every of these appearances ended the identical manner because the Steelers’ season concluded Saturday night time in Baltimore: a loss of their lone playoff recreation.
“I am simply assessing what transpired tonight,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin mentioned when requested in regards to the sample of one-and-dones within the playoffs. “As I advised you guys earlier within the week, these are my baggage, not this collective’s baggage. And so my vitality is on that group in there and what they had been prepared to present and the journey that we have been on this 12 months, and definitely it got here to a disappointing finish tonight.”
Saturday night time was a rerun of the identical nightmare that performed out in every of these postseason losses. The Steelers fell behind early and trailed 21-0 at halftime, marking their second-largest halftime playoff deficit behind a 25-point gap to the Cleveland Browns in 2020.
“Shedding sucks,” mentioned edge rusher T.J. Watt, who did not document a sort out or sack and had 5 quarterback pressures. “Shedding 5 in a row to complete the season out sucks. Felt like we had an excellent week of prep. Felt like we had been prepared for this one. We weren’t. We weren’t in a position to cease the run. Have not been in a position to cease the run. We weren’t in a position to get it fastened. So it has been tough final month of soccer.”
Relationship again to the 2016 AFC Championship Sport loss to the New England Patriots, the Steelers have been outscored by a mixed 96 factors and outgained by 641 yards of their previous six playoff losses.
“It is robust in a recreation, however cannot whine about it,” mentioned defensive sort out Cameron Heyward, who has been on the group for the previous six playoff losses. “They’ll make performs, however now we have to make our personal performs, and we didn’t do this.”
The Ravens started making these performs of their opening possession when MVP candidate Lamar Jackson and working again Derrick Henry mixed for 71 speeding yards throughout a drive that ended with a 15-yard Rashod Bateman landing catch. The Ravens had much more success working the ball on their second scoring drive once they completely rushed in the course of the 85-yard collection, which was capped by Henry’s 8-yard landing. By the tip of the night time, the Ravens put up 299 speeding yards on a once-stout Steelers run protection.
“Having 300 yards speeding on you is worse than having 300 yards passing,” Elliott mentioned. “It was like a will. They undoubtedly put belt to butt in the present day.”
As was the case in the course of the Steelers’ four-game dropping streak to finish the common season, the defensive gamers struggled to verbalize what wanted to alter.
“It is too recent,” Watt mentioned. “I do not know. I haven’t got the solutions. Clearly, if I had the solutions, I might’ve accomplished one thing in another way this week. I felt like we had an excellent week, good week of prep. Felt like we had a comparatively wholesome set of fellows, particularly defensively, put the pads on. I felt like we had a bodily follow week and did not correlate.”
Watt later added: “If I had the reply, we would not be right here proper now. I will have to have a look within the mirror and have some conversations, however I haven’t got the solutions.”
Although they could not put a finger on the required fixes, gamers who spoke after the sport unanimously mentioned the issue is not Tomlin.
“I do not fear about Mike’s message,” Heyward mentioned. “I fear about our method and our execution. That is what I am actually fearful about. I simply want we had performed loads higher. It is not a message factor, it is not that is groundbreaking, however there was alternatives available, and we did not seize something.”
