The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers were on an NFL field in a game, they were getting punched in the mouth repeatedly by the rival Baltimore Ravens, allowing 299 rushing yards in a blowout loss in the AFC Wild Card matchup. That loss was the fifth-straight one-and-done trip to the playoffs under head coach Mike Tomlin, and was maybe the most embarrassing of the five.
The sting of that loss lingered, leading to the Steelers undergoing a significant transformation this offseason. A bunch of new faces and big names joined the fold this offseason under GM Omar Khan, led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, wide receiver DK Metcalf, and defensive backs Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey.