Steelers Fans Are Frustrated, But There’s Still Reason for Hope
The offseason has officially begun, and for all 32 NFL teams, it’s time to reflect on the highs and lows of the 2024-2025 season. Some fanbases have had more time to do that than others, and unfortunately for Steelers fans, we once again find ourselves in a spot that’s become way too familiar—a first-round playoff exit.
At this point, it’s almost routine. Another one-and-done postseason appearance, another long offseason of questions. If you ask a big chunk of the Steelers fanbase, you might think Pittsburgh is one of the worst teams in the league. The frustration is real, and I completely understand it. This team hasn’t won a playoff game since 2017, and for a franchise built on championship expectations, that’s unacceptable.
I’ll be honest—I’m disappointed too. This stretch of early exits is frustrating, and I don’t blame anyone for being fed up. But I’m not someone who thinks the team should blow everything up and start from scratch. Sure, plenty of teams have won a playoff game since the Steelers last did, but does that one victory suddenly make them a better organization? The Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, and New Orleans Saints have all had their moment in the postseason since 2017. But when you look at the bigger picture, are those franchises really in a better position than Pittsburgh? I’d argue no.
Steelers fans have every right to be frustrated, and I’m right there with you. This team is expected to do more than just make the playoffs—we expect to compete for championships. And while the streak of non-losing seasons under Mike Tomlin is impressive, it starts to feel hollow when there’s no postseason success to back it up. Winning games in the regular season is great, but at some point, it has to translate into something more meaningful.
That being said, I don’t think things are as bad as they seem. The Steelers aren’t broken, but they are in the middle of a rebuild—just not the kind of rebuild that means tearing everything down. It may not be the quick fix we all want, but I do believe the team is working toward something.
Now comes the most important part of the year. The front office will start shaping the roster through free agency, trades, and the NFL Draft. Without a clear-cut franchise quarterback available, I think the best path forward is to build a team that’s quarterback ready. A strong roster, with depth and stability, can make things a whole lot easier when the right quarterback does come along.
So yeah, I get it—the frustration is real. But this team isn’t a disaster, and I don’t think we’re stuck in mediocrity forever. The offseason is here, and change is coming. It may not be the drastic overhaul some fans are hoping for, but if the Steelers play their cards right, it could be exactly what they need to get back to where they belong.
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Stay Blessed and Stay Positive… “Here We Go”
PLEASE stop mentioning non losing seasons. I’d wager there’s a fair amount of fans who think 8-8 is indeed a loser of a season, math not withstanding.
The sentence ended with “it starts to feel hollow when there’s no postseason success to back it up.” I don’t think the idea here was to glorify it. Either way, I would think it’s hard not to mention it in an article about fan frustration.
When you look at the Ben Roethlisberger era, it was Manning, Brady, Ben from the afc every year except 1 year of Flacco. So I’m looking at Colts and Pats. Those teams are years removed from Brady and Manning and are still trying to get back to finding their playoff consistency and ability to compete. It’s the cycle of the nfl. Being from MD and my best friend being a commanders fan, I see the lack of excitement that having a team out of it in December brings. I listen to a lot of Bears fans content and hear their struggle. These teams strive to compete like the Steelers and bring up “how well run” the Steelers are. I think us fans on the inside see that this organization is far from perfect and would like to see schemes and coaching staff adjustments to occur. I get the frustration, but do you really think this team was beating the chiefs in Ben’s last year? Or the Bills with Mason Rudolph? Even the ravens this year. They were out skilled at almost every position. Sure, the jaguars loss stung. Do you think an entire career should be graded on a bad loss? Bills and Ravens in todays game would like a few games back themselves. It’s very very difficult to win a Super Bowl.
But back to the patriots and colts rebuild. Would we as Steelers fans rather be 4-13 right now with drake Maye (not sure he’s the answer) on our 2nd coach since belichick? Doesn’t look like Richardson is the answer over in Indy. Another thing it’s very difficult to do in the nfl: find a qb. A lot of fans, myself included, have never been through a qb search. I remember the last few years of Maddox/Stewart but Ben was drafted within 3 years of my fandom. I’ve known nothing but meaningful football my entire life. I think as a fan base we have been spoiled and don’t realize how bad most teams end up after losing their hall of fame qb. Some would rather be 4-13 and drafting high and that’s okay too. You can fan how you want to. I still enjoy playing meaningful games in December and enjoy a playoff game even if I’m expecting a loss. If they do make a run, it’s a Cinderella run. If they lose, it is what it is. This team can be a trade from 18 to 10 in the draft from finding their qb. And when you find that qb, I think you can be an offseason or 2 away from being the team we all want to see. Keep the faith Steelers nation. Here we go!
Seeing what happened to the Steelers at the end of the year and watching the legit teams in the playoffs, I am not sure how anyone can say that the Steelers aren’t broken. I mean, they aren’t “Chicago Bears broken” but they clearly aren’t close to contender status either. If not for a cake walk schedule at the beginning of this past season then the Steelers probably have a losing record and no playoffs this past year and people are saying that they are broken.
A good QB would cure a lot of what ills the Steelers but they aren’t getting one any time soon.
We largely agree so I’ll plant my post/rant here. “The Standard is the Standard” has become a hackneyed cliche to Steeler fans, but I’m going to say that the bottom line for calling any season a success should still be winning a (just one) playoff game. Much humbler than how the phrase was intended, but also much more than this franchise has been able to achieve in nearly a decade. 75% of NFL teams have won a playoff game since the Steelers last did it, and to recap their last six postseason appearances (again, sigh, I know):
2016: Pats 36, Steelers 17 (low point 36-9).
2017: Jags 45, Steelers 42 (low point 28-7).
2018: No Playoffs.
2019: No Playoffs.
2020: Browns 48, Steelers 37 (low point 28-0).
2021: Chiefs 42, Steelers 21 (low point 35-7).
2022: No Playoffs.
2023: Bills 31, Steelers 17 (low point 21-0).
2024: Ravens 28, Steelers 14 (low point 21-0).
Nauseatingly consistent three touchdown deficits in six opportunities over a nine-year period. No trend, no progression; the arrow is very clearly pointing . . . sideways.
Yes, a good QB would help . . . but remember, Ben Roethlisberger played in four of these six games, and as losses and QB’s go, two of his losses were to Blake Bortles and Baker Mayfield. Look at the scores. Six different opponents. Quality of opposition didn’t matter.
My last point: the same Head Coach posted a non-losing season in all nine of these years and prepared the team for all six of these games. Sorry, my glass is half empty.
Why would they have a losing record just because they played their games in a different order?
Maybe I’m nuts…of course I’m nuts, I’m a Steelers Fan…but hasn’t this roster gotten better in the past two or three years? Given the performance of Kahn/Weidl so far, I’ve got confidence about the direction of this rebuild.
I’ve read articles and comments about getting rid of the head coach, the offensive coordinator, the defensive coordinator, two quarterbacks, a WR 1 and TJ Watt. TJ ??!
I’m with Chris’s take. I’ll go a step further…Suck it up, Steeler fans, impatience leads to bad decisions