Mike Tomlin claims the Steelers ‘deserved’ the Ravens loss

On Saturday night, The Pittsburgh Steelers’ season has come to an unceremonious end with a road demolition by the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs. This game was uncompetitive from the early stages, with Lamar Jackson and company having huge success on the court throughout the evening, while Russell Wilson and the Steelers offense he didn’t find a rhythm until things were already out of control.

Despite his record of consistency over the past decade and a half, the Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin has come under increased scrutiny in recent years, as the team has now not won a playoff game since the 2016 season.

After the loss to the Ravens, Tomlin won one hundred percent real on why he believes football karma is a real thing.

“You get what you deserve,” Tomlin said, per ESPN’s Brooke Prior on X. “…There’s not a lot of unhappiness in this business.” You get what you got.”

If the Steelers’ last four games of the regular season were any indication, they certainly got what was coming in their playoff loss to Baltimore. Pittsburgh finished the regular season with four straight losses, tapering off their hot start and continuing the team’s recent trend of seeing their production fall off a cliff as the schedule enters December and January.

Where did the Steelers go from here?

After a season that began with much promise, the Steelers now face an offseason suddenly filled with more questions than answers, none more so than the team’s quarterback situation.

Justin Fields started the year for Pittsburgh and played well, if not great, in his limited opportunities before Russell Wilson took over the starting job after returning from injury. Wilson started the year well, but saw his production drop significantly down the stretch, continuing in the team’s playoff loss to the Steelers.

At this point, it wouldn’t seem like either quarterback would be a great option for Pittsburgh moving forward, but they likely won’t have the opportunity to select one of the better quarterbacks with their pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.

Either way, the Steelers’ 2024-25 season was a good example of how quickly fortunes can turn in the NFL.