The way of the NFL now is parody and turnover.
The draft and salary cap gives teams that finished last the previous year to make a run for the playoffs the next (if they make the right moves).
Beside the New England Patriots, there hasn’t been many teams that have been able to stay relevant year in and year out. (Even the Patriots finished the 2020 season under .500).
Up until they year…so far, the Steelers have been at least “in the hunt” for a playoff spot for nearly two decades.
Even during those 8-8 seasons, the team was still alive for a shot at the postseason late into the year.
While that isn’t good enough for the Steelers or they’re fans (since its Super Bowl or bust every season), it’s pretty remarkable if you’re looking at it from a national perspective.
“The franchise and the fan base (in Pittsburgh) have been able to avoid the cyclical highs and lows that are seemingly baked into the NFL cake for everybody else,” said Audacy NFL Insider Jason La Canfora. “The better teams stay up the longest, the Steelers have stayed up an improbable amount of time.”
La Canfora adds that he doesn’t think it’s a bad thing if a team like the Steelers miss the playoffs this year and next year and that it happens to most teams in the league at some point.
While there are many issues that can be pointed out to why the Steelers are currently struggling…Just take a look at recent draft history below, it’s still uncommon to see the type of success the Steelers have been able to sustain for such a long time.