That 2016 Pittsburgh Steelers team was really good. Good enough to win a Super Bowl. But we never found out because an injury to running back Le’Veon Bell in the AFC Championship game left everyone wondering what might have been.
After that loss to the New England Patriots, Pittsburgh fell into a playoff drought and despite making the playoffs three times since (not counting 2023), they have been unable to win a playoff game. This is a burden head coach Mike Tomlin carries with him but doesn’t put on his team.
Not necessarily for our guys. That’s my story. That’s not Herbig’s story. In 2016 Herbig was probably in ninth grade. A guys like Elandon Roberts was playing for another team. It’s not their burden to bear. I don’t ask them to tote my luggage. I don’t project my luggage onto them. This is the 2023-24 Pittsburgh Steelers, and I’m concerned about this journey and rallying cries as it pertains to this group. And sometimes you’re kidding yourself if you think history like that is important to guys who weren’t a part of it. It’s not.
The only players on the roster who were on that 2016 team that lost to New England are defensive tackle Cam Heyward and kicker Chris Boswell. The Steelers are getting ready to take on the Buffalo Bills today and there’s nothing that would do more for Tomlin’s legacy in the eyes of fans who feel like regular-season consistency isn’t enough.
