Steelers Now
The Pittsburgh Steelers could finally close the chapter on one of their worst streaks this season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently in the midst of their longest playoff win drought in franchise history. However, Pro Football Focus believes they have the right pieces to finally bring it to an end in 2026.
“This distinction may be tough to recognize for a franchise as storied as the Steelers, which has never finished below .500 since 2003. But despite qualifying for the playoffs in six of the last nine campaigns, Pittsburgh hasn’t prevailed in a single matchup. The only other teams, enduring a longer active playoff win droughts are the Panthers and Cardinals (11 years), Jets (17), Raiders (25) and Dolphins (27),” PFF wrote. “Pittsburgh hasn’t played like a true title contender for most of that decade, sitting outside the top seven and overall PFF grade in each of those seasons. But not defeating a single opponent in late January with potential Hall-of-Fame talents in T.J. Watt, Cameron Hayward, Ben Roethlisberger and others is difficult to comprehend.”
The Steelers are coming off yet another disappointing season in which they finished atop the AFC North at 10-7 and were one-and-done in the playoffs. But there is a strong case that Pittsburgh has greatly improved its roster this offseason.
The team has traded for veteran wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., signed running back Rico Dowdle in free agency and added Alabama’s Germie Bernard in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Then on defense, the Steelers signed veteran cornerback Jamel Dean, former second-round safety Jaquan Brisker and defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day, among others.
This isn’t to say the Steelers are guaranteed to win a playoff game, especially since much of the Steelers’ success will likely fall on the shoulders of quarterback Aaron Rodgers once again. But it certainly feels much more likely that 2026 will be the year they finally end their nine-year postseason win drought.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Predicted to End Dreadful Streak in 2026
