If the Pittsburgh Steelers fall short in Baltimore on Saturday night, it will mean an unsuccessful run of which the team hasn’t seen in 16 years.
The Steelers have lost four straight, but haven’t suffered through a five-game losing streak since the 2009 campaign. The Steelers started that schedule 6-2 and appeared to be in prime position for the postseason, but slipped to 6-7 and missed out on the playoffs. That stretch included losses to Cincinnati, Kansas City, Baltimore, the then-Oakland Raiders, and Cleveland.
Before that, Pittsburgh had a five-game skid in 2003, a poor showing that helped yield signal-caller mainstay and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger. These Steelers will be no such consolation prizer. Their season would be done.
Pittsburgh hasnt’ won in four tries, having last come out on the right side of a contest in a 27-14 decision at home against reeling Cleveland on Dec. 8. The Steelers embarked on a brutal gauntlet following that victory over the Browns. They bowing to Philadelphia and Baltimore on the road, then Kansas City and Cincinnati at home to cap off the regular season.
This is the first time the Steelers find themselves in the midst of a four-game skid since early in the 2022 season. They fell to 1-4 and turned to then-rookie Kenny Pickett behind center that year.
How have teams fared in the postseason after previously losing four in a row?
The most recent playoff teams to have a four-game losing streak at any point during that season were last year’s Green Bay and Tampa Bay crews. The Buccaneers fell to 3-5 after winning three of their first four, then beat Philadelphia in the Wild Card round. The Packers also won a playoff game, downing Dallas in the same round despite once being 2-5.
Of course, the difference between those casts and this Steelers one is that the downturn wasn’t down the stretch.