The Pittsburgh Steelers are reeling. After suffering their 3rd embarrassing loss in a row to another NFL Powerhouse, this time on Christmas Day for all the world to see, Pittsburgh, who has already locked up a playoff spot, seems to be in a spiral they wont be able to escape from to close out a once promising 2024 Campaign.

First it was the Philadelphia Eagles running over a banged-up Steelers team enroute to a 27-13 blowout in Philly. Then the magic ended for Pittsburgh in their rivalry with the Baltimore Ravens, losing in convincing fashion 34-17 after having won 8 of 9 vs. Baltimore before that matchup. Then the 2x defending Super Bowl Champion Chiefs came into Mike Tomlin’s house and laid waste to the once proud Black and Gold.

The Steelers fashioned themselves a contender in the mold of each of these squads. It’s clear they were wrong.

But just how bad could things get for the Steelers and their fanbase if the spiral continues? It’s an intriguing study.

What if Pittsburgh fails to win again this season? That would include losing their season finale at home to the division rival Bengals and whichever Wild Card opponent (Houston or Baltimore) they end up facing the following week. Would there be significant changes made? High profile names on the coaching staff and roster on the chopping block?

Here’s how I see things playing out if, in fact, the Steelers turn their current 3-game losing streak into 5 games.

Mike Tomlin Isn’t Going Anywhere

I think most Steelers fans would agree that Mike Tomlin will escape the ire of Art Rooney II even if Pittsburgh drops these last two games, or at the very least fails to win a playoff game for the 7th consecutive year. Tomlin is the Great Untouchable, and while many fans would like to see him go under the argument that he cannot get the team over the hump when it matters most, the fact is it’s hard to win in the NFL consistently, and Tomlin does that better than anybody else.

Mike Tomlin’s biggest issue, in my opinion, is that he is either unwilling or unable to move into the modern era when it comes to schematics on both sides of the ball, but specifically on defense, where he is too reliant on star power and 100% assignment-soundness from his players to field a high-end defense. His units just can’t hold up late in season against the most innovative and best offenses in the league. If the defensive head coach can’t figure out the defense, what are we even doing?

Teryl Austin Feels Like the Fall Guy

With Tomlin highly unlikely to be given the pink slip if the team can’t wright the ship, the guy who figures to take the fall would be Teryl Austin, who, to be fair, has his own issues as far as elevating the defensive roster through schematic advantages built into the gameplan. There’s absolutely no creativity when it comes to rushing the passer and putting his best players in position to highlight their strengths. The high-profile example is TJ Watt, who is doing it all on his own, with the scheme doing very little to help him get through the insane amount of chips and double teams he has to navigate on the way to the QB. Since he was elevated to DC in 2022, his Steelers have finished outside the top 10 in total sacks each year and have not totaled more than 50 in a season. Prior to that, the Steelers led the league in sacks each of the previous 5 seasons under Keith Butler, finishing with 52 or more sacks from 2017-2021.

Credit where it’s due to Austin, who has done a good job overall coaching up the team’s recent additions via the draft and free agency like Joey Porter, Jr., Corey Trice, and even Donte Jackson who’s having a career year in Pittsburgh. But the lapses up front in pressure rate and sack conversion can be attributed directly, in my opinion, to the lack of creativity in the scheme. Tomlin deserves a lot of the blame for that, but it feels like Austin may be the scape goat if things don’t improve to finish out 2024.

Russell Wilson Done in Black and Gold?

Russ was brought in to win in January. If that doesn’t happen, I don’t think Omar Khan, Andy Weidl, the rest of the Front Office would be very excited to offer the 36-year-old QB a $40M+ per year contract when the rest of the roster is getting younger and more dynamic, especially in the trenches. Justin Fields would likely be a much cheaper option to bring back, and he arguably offers greater upside at this stage of his career than Wilson, despite the former’s struggles as a passer in Pittsburgh to start the year. The problem here is that Tomlin, who I believe probably has the biggest say in personnel decisions, really likes Russell Wilson and seems to believe they can win big together. As evidenced by Tomlin’s “Lone Wolf” decision to go to Russ in Week 7 despite Fields’ 4-2 record as the starter to that point, it seems his opinion outweighs any others in the building even when it comes to personnel.

Big-Time Turnover on Defense?

Let’s be honest here: we all knew the offense was not going to be leading the charge in Pittsburgh’s quest for a Championship in 2024, even if it improved over previous iterations, which it has. It was always going to be about the defense, and unfortunately, that side of the ball has failed to be anything close to championship level over the last 3 weeks. Personally, as I explained above, I think TJ Watt’s numbers are down because he gets zero help from the scheme as opposing offenses have figured out how to slow him down schematically. The linebacking corps has been good, but not the game-changing group we thought it might be. Minkah Fitzpatrick has been virtually invisible from an impact play perspective, and despite doing a good job for the most part eliminating the middle of the field in the vertical passing game, he has struggled in man-to-man assignments and gets burned often when he’s trying to play instinctually and not assignment sound. Both Fitzpatrick and OLB Alex Highsmith are going to get name-dropped as tradeable players all offseason, and I wouldn’t argue against that logic.

The point is, if the defense cannot figure things out before the end of the season, there could be some major changes to a group that has been fairly intact for the majority of this decade so far.

Other Players and Coaches on the Chopping Block

There’s a real scenario where the entire Steelers backfield looks new in 2025, with both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren operating as Unrestricted Free Agents at the conclusion of this season. Embattled WR George Pickens could find himself on the move as well if the team decides his upside isn’t worth dealing with his antics. The whole QB room could change for the 2nd straight offseason as insinuated above. Isaac Seumalo, James Daniels, and Dan Moore Jr. could all find themselves in different uniforms.

I don’t think Arthur Smith’s seat is hot, despite mixed results in 2024, but some of his staff could be on the outs. OL coach Pat Meyer has drawn the ire of fans at times. The issues in the WR room could make Zach Azzanni expendable at season’s end. However it plays out, things could get very ugly for a lot of Steelers’ coaches and players if they are unable to get it together for their highly anticipated playoff run. Steelers fans want the team to be relevant in January again, and if that expectation isn’t met, drastic changes could (and should) be on the way.