PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t struggled like this in a while. Not since 1988, to be exact. That was a 5-11 season for the Black and Gold, the worst year for the franchise since pre-1972.
That season was also the last instance in which the Steelers lost three consecutive games by at least 14 points, a spell of the sort Pittsburgh is under after its 29-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday. Prior to Sunday’s lackadaisical performance, the Steelers got stomped by the Philadelphia Eagles 27-13 and Baltimore Ravens 34-17.
Bubby Brister started the first game of that tough stretch in 1988, a 23-9 home loss to Cleveland that dropped Pittsburgh to 1-4 on the season. The Steelers then got blownout by the Phoenix Cardinals 31-14 at Sun Devil Stadium and then 34-14 to the Houston Oilers at Three Rivers Stadium. Pittsburgh got out-scored 98-37 in that three-game stretch.
Heading into Week 15, the Eagles, Ravens and Chiefs were a combined 30-8. It was well-documented, even before the season started, that the three-game stretch in 11 days was a daunting task, but getting out-scored 90-40 was rather unexpected. It just shows that the Steelers are not in the same class of the elite teams in the NFL.
If the Baltimore Ravens beat the Houston Texans on Wednesday afternoon, the Steelers will drop to second place in the AFC North. They will no longer control their own destiny.
Pittsburgh has already clinched a playoff spot, but they’re limping into the postseason. If Baltimore wins out, the Steelers will travel to Houston in the Wild Card Round. That’s if they beat Cincinnati in the regular-season finale, however. If the Steelers fall to Cincinnati, they’ll head back to Baltimore for a first-round playoff game.
If the Ravens lose to the Texans, the Steelers could clinch the AFC North with a win over the Bengals in Week 18.
If might not matter who the Steelers draw in the playoffs, as they’re playing their worst football at the most crucial time of the year. The Steelers collapsed late in the season in 2018, 2019 and 2020. At their current pace, 2024 will be added to the record books as an epic collapse.