The Steelers have won 80 regular-season games in the past eight seasons. They haven't won a playoff game in that same stretch, going 0-5. Tomlin said Tuesday his players frequently joke with him about one of his favorite cliches: "Two is a pattern." What about five?

The Steelers are not. And they also don't have a quarterback under contract for 2025. Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen are all scheduled to become free agents when the new league year begins in March.

Is Tomlin holding the Steelers back? Is it the other way around? Could it be both? There's much more to this story than the obvious.