Pittsburgh Steelers suffer 6th playoff loss in eight seasons - ESPN

BALTIMORE — Safety DeShon Elliott didn't mince words after the Pittsburgh Steelers' 28-14 AFC wild-card loss Saturday night.

Despite being with the organization for only one season, Elliott was clear in his frustration with the Steelers' cycle of futility: a regular-season record above .500 followed by a one-and-done playoff stint.

«I know that in the past we've played well in the beginning of the season, and then we just s--- the bed at the end, and same s--- happened this year,» Elliott said after the Steelers' sixth playoff loss in eight seasons. «Closed the season out on a five-game losing streak, including the playoffs. So we got to figure out what's the problem. We got to figure out how to get better. We got to figure out how to get past that point. We got to figure out how to finish strong in seasons to go into the playoffs.»

The Steelers have taken different routes to get to this point each year, but the destination is the same. In their two most recent playoff appearances prior to the 2024 season, the Steelers rallied from slow starts to clinch a playoff berth in the last week of the season. In 2020, they started 11-0 before losing four of their final five. And in 2017, they won the AFC North and hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars after a first-round bye. Yet, each of those appearances ended the same way as the Steelers' season concluded Saturday night in Baltimore: a loss in their lone playoff game.

«I'm just assessing what transpired tonight,» Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said when asked about their pattern of one-and-dones in the playoffs. «As I told you guys earlier in the week, those are my bags, not this collective's bags. And so my energy is on that group in there and what they were willing to give and the