Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves grappling with familiar challenges following their latest playoff exit. In a wild-card matchup against the Houston Texans on Monday night, the game remained competitive for three quarters. However, a pivotal moment occurred when Sheldon Rankins returned a fumble 33 yards for a touchdown, allowing the Texans and their formidable defense to secure a 30-6 victory over the Steelers.
“Certainly a disappointing end to our season,” Tomlin remarked. “We”ve got to give Houston a lot of credit, particularly their defensive unit. I thought they ruled the day.” This defeat marked the Steelers” seventh consecutive playoff loss, the longest active postseason losing streak in the NFL, tying Tomlin with Marvin Lewis of the Bengals for the longest playoff skid by a head coach.
The Steelers have not won a playoff game since defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round of 2016. As speculation arises about Tomlin”s future with the team, he chose not to address questions regarding his potential return for a 20th season in Pittsburgh. “I”m not in the big-picture perspective,” he stated. “I don”t think about the totality of it. You pour everything that you have into these performances and what goes on tonight.”
This loss also marked a significant milestone; it was the first time since October 14, 1991, that Pittsburgh lost a scheduled Monday night home game, ending a streak of 23 consecutive victories in such games. Aaron Rodgers struggled, throwing for only 146 yards, as the Steelers were limited to a mere 175 yards of total offense.
In the fourth quarter, Calen Bullock added another defensive touchdown for Houston with a 50-yard interception return, which could have been the final pass of Rodgers” illustrious 21-year career. The four-time MVP expressed his disappointment but also acknowledged the enjoyable aspects of the season filled with adversity. “I”m not going to make any emotional decisions,” Rodgers said. “Obviously, a lot of adversity, but a lot of fun.”
Despite forcing C.J. Stroud, the Texans” quarterback, into multiple mistakes during the first three quarters, the Steelers could not capitalize on these opportunities. Stroud fumbled five times, losing two, and threw an interception, yet the Steelers failed to score a single touchdown. Houston led 10-6 when Will Anderson Jr. sacked Rodgers, leading to Rankins” crucial touchdown return.
Reflecting on the game, Rodgers noted, “I didn”t feel like we ever got the momentum on our side, honestly. We had a lot of chances. Defense played really good in the first half. (Houston) has a good defense. But we had a lot of opportunities.” The home crowd voiced their dissatisfaction, booing Tomlin and the Steelers off the field, with chants for his firing echoing in the closing moments of the game.
Veteran defensive lineman Cam Heyward defended Tomlin, stating, “I don”t really care about that noise because they don”t know what (Tomlin) puts into this. They don”t know how he goes out of his way to prepare every man. Coaches can only do so much. Players have to play better, and in those critical moments, they have to step up.”
