The Steelers are mostly to blame for the brutal Wild Card loss to the Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers looked like a strong contender for the AFC at 10-3 overall with four regular season games remaining. The Baltimore Ravens, however, completed another upset for the Steelers on Saturday.

Pittsburgh’s 28-14 loss at M&T Bank Stadium handed the Steelers their fifth straight loss. Worse for Mike Tomlin, Russell Wilson and company, the franchise still hasn’t won in the playoffs since the 2016 season.

So who deserves the blame for the latest postseason debacle? It’s time to see if Tomlin, Wilson or the other Steelers should take responsibility for this latest loss.

Mike Tomlin keeps inventing

Tomlin shared this game reception post that didn’t sit well with Pittsburgh fans. The Steelers head coach described Lamar Jackson as the “k-factor” that depleted his team.

But this is a longtime defensive coach who admits it. Let alone a head coach known for producing elite passes. And Tomlin faced Jackson for the third time this season — but still couldn’t adjust his plan of attack against the Ravens All-Pro.

Tomlin has a new problem ahead of him. The Super Bowl winner’s head coach has been kicked out of the coaching ranks, and he’s played when it’s playoff time. Rival coach John Harbaugh is the last among them. Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills outplayed Tomlin a year ago. Even three-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid made more aggressive plans compared to Tomlin.

The 18-season head coach is credited with consistently winning during the regular season. But Tomlin continues to lose his grip on elite status among the NFL’s head coaching fraternity. Tomlin needs to look in the mirror again and figure out how to regain his playoff mode. That may have to come in the form of aggressive decision-making — from retooling his staff to nailing down his 2025 roster.

The Steelers defense has been a big disappointment

This falls on Tomlin and defensive coordinator Terrill Austin. Baltimore smashed and gashed this defense for a whopping 299 yards.

They still allowed this performance against an offense they game plan against twice a year. All the more reason why the blame is on Austin’s table, then Tomlin’s.

The Steelers even brought the league’s sixth-best defense to the Ravens’ home — and still couldn’t contain Baltimore.

Najee Harris likely played the Steelers’ last game after a disappointing playoff run

Pittsburgh’s game on the field didn’t fare any better either. It’s a unit that should be led by former Pro Bowler Najee Harris.

RB1 now looks like he’s being led to the exit door in the Steel City. Harris settled for a dismal 17 yards on just six carries.

The ’21 first rounder has struggled to regain his rookie form. Harris has not passed for 1,045 yards since that year. It even ends the year 10-game hitting streak. The unrestricted free agent needs a change of scenery, even despite four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Saturday was proof that Pittsburgh needs to get younger and faster in the backfield.

The quarterback experiment failed to end the playoff slump

Russell Wilson joined to reignite the KB position. Justin Fields arrived via trade to provide an upgraded backup, with potential for the future.

This experiment, however, ultimately failed to end Pittsburgh’s playoff slump. Now both face murky futures with the Steelers.

Wilson and Fields are among them 14 free agents this offseason for the Steelers. The former will be 37 years old during the 2025 season and was just 6-5 as a starter. Wilson also finished with his worst career yardage total at 2,482. The latter KB produced a 4-2 mark with five touchdowns and only one interception. Still, Fields could intrigue other teams in the free agency market.

Regardless, Pittsburgh overhauled its QB room after a disappointing playoff loss to the Bills last year. Looks like they have to reset the KB room again after this loss.