Until the Steelers Get a Real Quarterback, Nothing Else Will Matter

Pittsburgh is a good bet to be one-and-done in the playoffs, trying to win with signal-callers that threaten no one, something that has now been the case for more than a half decade.

Wilson is now 6-5 as Pittsburgh's starting quarterback after the Steelers lost their fourth consecutive game Saturday night. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

If the Pittsburgh Steelers ever want another ring, they have to chase greatness, which they don’t currently have under center.

Yes, despite losing their final four games, including a 19–17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night, the Steelers are headed to the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. They’re also a good bet to be one-and-done in said postseason for the fourth time in five seasons. 

The biggest reason? They never have a functioning offense, largely because they’ve been employing Kenny Pickett, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Mason Rudolph and the husk of Ben Roethlisberger over that span. Combined with the genius of coach Mike Tomlin and a stingy defense, it’s a combination good enough to win in the regular season, but useless against top competition in the playoffs.

Case in point? Saturday’s defeat. The Steelers held the powerful Bengals to 19 points. They gave Wilson a turnover on the plus side of the field, trailing by five late in the fourth quarter. It resulted in a 54-yard field goal. 

Then, the defense held again and gave Wilson a chance to drive for a game-winning field goal attempt. Instead, Wilson was a complete disaster, completing two short passes inbounds, netting zero yards. Two plays later, he scrambled for four yards, failing to get out of bounds with the clock ticking down. It was a travesty, resulting in a turnover on downs. For the game, Wilson threw for 148 yards and 4.8 yards per attempt, going 17-of-31.

Against any decent team, those numbers will almost always result in a loss.

The last time Pittsburgh ranked in the top 10 in passing yards per game was 2018, when Roethlisberger was enjoying his final moment of glory. Since then, Pittsburgh has checked in 31st, 15th, 15th, 24th, 25th and with Sunday’s results pending, 25th again. In an age of passers ruling the NFL, those numbers aren’t compatible with winning Super Bowls, as the champions since ’19 have been fifth, second, fifth, first and sixth in that statistic. 

At some juncture, general manager Omar Khan can’t continue to put a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. He needs to be aggressive, and considering the perceived state of the upcoming NFL draft class, show some creativity. 

Given that the Steelers are typically drafting in the early 20s, they’re not going to have a quarterback fall to them unless the class is deep, which this one is not, or they get lucky with a player who outperforms their draft stock. If Khan loves Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, calls should be made to move up. 

If Khan doesn’t see the value in that proposition, he should call the Minnesota Vikings.

If Minnesota is content long-term with Sam Darnold, what would it cost to trade for J.J. McCarthy? And if McCarthy is still seen as the long-term answer for the Vikings, would Darnold be available for a reasonable price on a potential tag-and-trade? Considering Darnold is just 27 years old, he’s still a viable franchise quarterback for the next decade if this season isn’t a mirage. 

Re-signing Wilson or going a similar route by signing a free-agent veteran such as Kirk Cousins just restarts the cycle, but the cycle must be broken.

Despite being the longest-tenured coach in the league, Tomlin is only 52 years old. If the Steelers go with a neophyte quarterback and struggle for a year or two as the youngster adjusts, that’s preferable to spinning the dial on the Wilsons of the world, constantly running on a treadmill to oblivion. 

Tomlin has shown that with a franchise quarterback, he can field a perennial contender and win a Super Bowl. He’s also shown that without one, he can keep his team afloat but eventually sinks come January. 

This year, Pittsburgh went 10–7 but struggled against the league’s upper crust as the games became more meaningful. In December, the Steelers lost three straight to the Philadelphia Eagles, Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs by a combined score of 90–40. 

Over the previous four years, the same story has played out. Pittsburgh wins games and does enough to earn a playoff berth, but is ultimately mediocre against quality opponents. In fact, from 2020 to ’23, the Steelers have played 30 games against teams that eventually reached the postseason. They’re 15–15 in those contests. Not bad, but indicative of the position Pittsburgh finds itself in. 

For the Steelers, the playoffs almost seem predetermined. They’re going to likely play the Ravens in the wild-card round, and although Pittsburgh has been a thorn in the side of Lamar Jackson, Baltimore probably will win because of the disparity at the sport’s paramount position. 

Eventually, something must change for a franchise that has six Super Bowl rings, all won with Terry Bradshaw or Roethlisberger at the controls. One is a Hall of Famer, and the other soon will be. 

Unfortunately for Pittsburgh fans, this isn’t uncharted territory. Throughout much of the 1980s and ’90s, the Steelers were competitive. They reached the playoffs 10 times during that span but reached the Super Bowl just once, losing to the Dallas Cowboys in the 1995 season. 

In those years, the coaching was great with Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher. The defenses were routinely awesome. But the weapons were lacking and the quarterbacks ranged from Mark Malone and Bubby Brister to Neil O’Donnell and Kordell Stewart.

Fast forward to the present, and it’s a familiar story. Pittsburgh is trying to win with an offense that threatens no one, something that has now been the case for more than a half decade. 

And until that changes, starting with the quarterback, nothing else matters.

For when the tough games come and the playoffs begin, their lack of greatness where it counts most will separate them from the real contenders they’ve long been chasing.