Ben Deihl | sports editor

Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016-17 season, beating the Alex Smith-led Kansas City Chiefs before losing to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship. Since then, the Steelers have been on a 6-game losing streak in the postseason, most recently falling to division-rival Baltimore 28-14 last season.

Just before Monday’s playoff game against the Houston Texans, the city was buzzing with activity.

Hundreds of fans packed the streets donning black and gold, Terrible Towels in pockets, ready to see their beloved Steelers break the curse on home turf. But just as quickly as the hype ballooned, 68,000 loyal fans were hit with a rude awakening.

The Steelers suffered their worst home playoff loss in franchise history, falling to the Texans 30-6. The defeat was Pittsburgh’s seventh consecutive playoff loss, the longest playoff losing streak in franchise history and the longest active postseason losing streak in the NFL.

On top of the defeat, Head Coach Mike Tomlin announced his divorce from the team less than 24 hours after the game, ending his 19 years at the helm and instantly deflating the entire city’s pride. Not one Steeler fan had seen a loss as impactful as this in the teams’ 93-year history.

Now the ninth team without a head coach in 2025, Pittsburgh has entered a transition period many fans were calling for years ago. After the offensive disaster class that was Matt Canada and Kenny Pickett in 2023, Tomlin’s leadership was called into question in the midst of his playoff drought. In hindsight, maybe the blame shouldn’t have fallen all on Canada.

A stagnant offense proved to be Pittsburgh’s downfall, as the Steelers could only muster 175 yards of total offense against Houston’s top-3 defense. The Texans forced two turnovers late in the fourth quarter, scoring on both plays to seal the game.

Pittsburgh’s defense kept the score close for the majority of the game, forcing three Texans turnovers, although the Steelers’ offense could only generate 3 points from the takeaways. Two Chris Boswell field goals kept the score at 7-6 until the fourth quarter, where the Houston defense took over.

In a season that felt like Tomlin’s final push, he and his team once again fell into mediocrity, settling for another season just above .500 and squeaking into the playoffs, all to get embarrassed on their home turf for the team’s fifth consecutive first-round exit.

“When you don’t get it done, words are cheap,” Tomlin said. “It’s about what you do or don’t do.”

Before the 2025 season, Tomlin made it clear that this year was going to be different for Pittsburgh. He traded a second-round pick for Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf, one of the biggest deep threat receivers in the NFL.

He brought in veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers to command a sputtering offense. He even traded franchise staple Minkah Fitzpatrick back to the Dolphins for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith, assembling the highest-paid defense in the NFL. Expectations couldn’t be higher in the Steel City, but reality is often disappointing.

The Steelers seemingly put all their eggs into one basket in 2025, only to finish with the same mediocrity that has plagued the franchise since 2017. While Tomlin should still be celebrated for finishing a 19-year career with no losing seasons, the Steelers have been stuck in a rut of no postseason success and low draft picks, leaving them in a talent deficit.

“I don’t hate Mike Tomlin, but I think it’s time for a change,” fan Chris Malicki said after the loss. “I don’t think it’s his fault, or the Steelers fault, but they’re not meshing well together. There’s other teams out there changing their coaches, changing the game. The game evolves, and we’re not evolving.”

Offensive play calling for Pittsburgh was in fact offensive, as the Steelers stuck to their bread and butter of screen passes and inside zones, although Rodgers did air the ball out a couple of times, only for Metcalf to drop what could have been a touchdown.

As the 2025 season hits the rearview mirror, it’s clear that Pittsburgh is ready to move on to a new era. The revitalization of Market Square in Downtown for the upcoming NFL Draft almost parallels a future Steelers rebuild, moving on from Tomlin, and most likely Rodgers and Cam Heyward.

With a new head coach comes new opportunities, and the Steelers have the chance to build on those in their own city. A new wide receiver and additions to the secondary could be points of emphasis for Pittsburgh.

Still, the 2025 season was a failed experiment that eventually led to the demise of what was the NFL’s current longest-tenured head coach. With a multitude of changes on the horizon for one of the NFL’s most storied franchises, it allows veterans like Rodgers to reflect on their time as a Steeler.

“I was fortunate to play in an incredible football city for 18 years,” Rodgers said. “This has been a beautiful back end to that first 18. [Pittsburgh] is a special place. There’s only a few really special places in the league that have the tradition, town and organization, and I’m thankful to have played for two of them.”

Ben Deihl can be reached at deihlb1@duq.edu