Steelers Now
After Tyler Loop’s 44-yard field goal try curved outside the right upright on Sunday night, a moment that’s becoming known as “The Catholic Crosswind,” Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin beat his fists on his chest and blew a kiss toward a camera.
By beating the bitter rival Baltimore Ravens, a result that soon cost John Harbaugh his job, Tomlin’s team earned a seat at the playoff table. Stephen A. Smith, the star of ESPN’s “First Take,” isn’t giving the longtime Steelers leader or his players much credit just yet.
“The noise about Mike Tomlin, you want it to stop? Gotta win a playoff game,” Smith said. “Noise about DK Metcalf? Gotta win a playoff game. Aaron Rodgers? Gotta win a playoff game. … Omar Khan — that’s who I’m looking at — gotta win a playoff game.”
Former longtime Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday, a Super Bowl XLI champion, agreed with his show co-host. He wants to see more out of the Steelers at home on Monday night in the Wild Card round against DeMeco Ryans’ Houston Texans.
“I look at this playoff thing like the Steelers fans, they don’t care about 10-7. They don’t care,” Saturday said. “They want playoff wins. It’s been a long time. … I think it actually put a little more on them. This is a big deal. Them winning a playoff game matters. You don’t bring Aaron Rodgers in to make the playoffs.
“This team, to me, is gonna be defined on playoff (success) and playoff (success) only. Everybody’s tired of being just OK.”
The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since January 2017. They’ve lost six in a row since then, and Smith isn’t letting people forget that just because they eked out a crucial win on Sunday night.
“It ain’t going away because they won last week,” Smith said. “First of all, we know your ass should’ve lost, because that missed field goal by Loop. You’re not supposed to win that game. You had Boswell missing an extra point? Are you kidding me? I mean, you’ve gotta be kidding me, right? … That win (over) Baltimore, it delayed everything a week. A week. A week. Eight days.
“And I’m telling you — I promise you — (if) they lose, particularly in similar fashion, come Monday night in Pittsburgh, to those dogs in Houston, the way they come at you, those rough riders … it will be an 8-9-day delay. And right then, next Tuesday, I’ll see you and it’ll be the same thing. This is not going away.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Prominent Analyst Not Giving Steelers Any Grace Just for Playoff Berth
