Is Russell Wilson still capable of winning a Super Bowl? Preview of the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers Playoffs.

The Baltimore Ravens won the AFC North ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers and now the two teams are set to meet for the third time season in the wildcard round of the playoffs. The Steelers finished the season 10-7 record whilst the Ravens finished with a 12-5 record.

The game will take place on Saturday night at the M&T Bank Stadium with a chance for both teams to progress to the Divisional Round.

So, let’s take a look at how the Steelers’ season unfolded:

Season Overview

The Steelers started the season with wins against the Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers before losing back-to-back games against the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys.

After their 3-2 start the Steelers would then win seven of their next eight games with their only loss in that stretch coming against the Cleveland Browns in the snow.

The Steelers finished the season with four straight losses against the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals.

Playoff Possibilities

Pittsburgh finished as the sixth seed which gives them a high probability chance of playing Kansas City in the next round – if they get past the Ravens.

The NFL playoffs are re-seeded after each round with the highest seeded team playing the lowest seeded team.

So, if Pittsburgh beat Baltimore and the Buffalo Bills beat the Broncos then it would see the Steelers travel to the Chiefs and the Bills would host the winners of the Houston Texans vs the LA Chargers.

Player of the Season – Cameron Heyward

Heyward is an integral part of the Steelers defence and has been for over 10 years. The 35-year-old has showed no signs of slowing down either.

The Steelers DT played in all 17 games in 2024 contributing eight sacks, 35 solo tackles, 12 TFL’s, 20 QB hits and 11 passes defended.

Per PFF, Heyward ranks first among all interior lineman with an overall grade of 90.3, his pass rush grade of 87.2 ranks third, whilst his run defense grade of 79.6 ranks fifth.

Heyward ranks first in stops among DIs with 44, his 56 total pressures rank fifth and his 10 batted passes also ranks first.

Surprise player of the season – Calvin Austin III

Drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft, Austin had to sit out his rookie year due to a season ending foot injury.

In 2023, Austin, who was drafted as a return man caught 17 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown. He also returned 29 punts for a total of 249 yards. His longest return was recorded at 34 yards.

During the 2024 season, Austin elevated his game once more. He caught 36 passes for 548 yards and four touchdowns. Austin also continued to be the Steelers return man returning 28 punts for 288 yards and touchdown, his longest punt return was a 73-yard touchdown against the New York Giants in week eight.

Game of the Season

The Steelers week 11 victory against the Ravens was undoubtedly their biggest win off the season. The Steelers came into the game on the back of 28-27 win against the Washington Commanders and needed to win to stay ahead of the Ravens in the division.

The Ravens went into the game as -3-point favourites, but it was the underdogs that came away with the win.

The Steelers did a great job of keeping Derrick Henry in check holding him to 65 yards on the ground. Whilst Lamar Jackson only had 44 yards rushing.

The Steelers kept the Ravens at arm’s length for the whole game, only falling behind once when Henry found the endzone to give the Ravens a 7-6 lead, but a Chris Boswell field goal regained the Steelers lead before the half.

Three more second half kicks from Boswell were enough to give the Steelers a 18-16 victory.