The Pittsburgh Steelers are still alive after a dramatic regular season that saw fans chant for head coach Mike Tomlin to be fired. In a winner-take-all game for the AFC North and the league’s final playoff berth, quarterback Aaron Rodgers delivered a victory to the Steel City.
Pittsburgh is hosting the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round, in what feels like the most winnable postseason game for Pittsburgh in the last half-decade for a team that hasn’t logged a playoff win since 2016.
Unfortunately for the Steelers, a deeper dive into the numbers reveals that they may be outclassed yet again, and by every other team in the playoff field. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe dug into the records of every playoff team against the other teams remaining, and only one team has just a single win.
Records against teams in the playoff field:
AFC
1. Broncos, 4-2
2. Patriots, 2-2
3. Jaguars, 5-3
4. Steelers, 1-5
5. Texans, 4-4
6. Bills, 3-3
7. Chargers, 3-3NFC
1. Seahawks, 6-2
2. Bears, 3-2
3. Eagles, 3-3
4. Panthers, 2-5
5. Rams, 4-4
6. 49ers, 4-4
7. Packers, 2-4— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) January 7, 2026
Fans reacted to the records on social media.
“Steelers were leading at halftime in 4 out of 5 losses. A lot of unlucky losses,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“The Steelers only played 4 bad quarterbacks all year long. Every game was tough,” someone else added.
“Which means the Steelers will make the conference championship game (nothing in the NFL makes sense),” another fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see if Pittsburgh can excorcise its playoff demons or if it’ll be another early exit for Tomlin.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.