In a playoff win against the Steelers, Josh Allen and the Bills overcame harsh winter weather conditions to secure a 31-17 victory. Due to the impact of the weather, there was no assigned seating at the game. While the loss was a disappointment for the Steelers, who had mounted a second-half rally to bring the score to 24-17, it was also a reminder of the team’s struggles in the playoffs. Head coach Mike Tomlin, however, refused to address questions about his future with the team, storming out of a press conference after the defeat. Tomlin’s current contract with the Steelers runs until the end of the 2024 season, but his ability to take the team further in the playoffs remains a topic of debate. Despite cycling through three different starting quarterbacks, the Steelers managed to post a 10-win season in 2023, though star player T.J. Watt’s absence due to injury may have impacted their playoff performance.
Tomlin’s reputation for achieving success with limited resources is highly regarded in the NFL. Despite not always having top-tier players on his roster, he has managed to maintain an unbroken record of never having a losing season as the coach of the Steelers, a streak he has now extended to 17 consecutive seasons as of 2023. However, the team’s lack of recent playoff victories is starting to tarnish the legacy of the experienced coach, which could potentially become a point of contention if and when contract negotiations with the 51-year-old begin.
The Steelers’ defeat in Buffalo on Monday has extended their losing streak in the playoffs to four games. It has now been seven years since their last playoff win, which occurred on January 15, 2017 against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The team’s last appearance in the Super Bowl was in the 2010 season, and they have not won the Vince Lombardi Trophy since their victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII in the 2008 season.
