Here are some numbers for you:

73-0.

That’s the total by which the Steelers have been outscored in the first quarter of their past six playoff games.

143-47.

That’s the margin by which the Steelers have been outscored in the first half of those games.

Want one more?

21.

That’s the number of points by which the Steelers have trailed in each game.

I could go on. But why? No one needs numbers to know how bad this team has been in the playoffs recently, or how sad things were in Baltimore on Saturday night. They just need to turn on the film.

On Pittsburgh’s first play from scrimmage, tight end Pat Freiermuth dropped a pass that hit him squarely in the hands. Physical mistakes happen. You can live with those. But what ensued soon after was unacceptable, especially for a rivalry as intense as Pittsburgh/Baltimore. I won’t pretend to know what’s in anyone’s heart, or in their mind, and I will never question the toughness of any player who has made it to the NFL. But it sure looked as though the Steelers rolled over. With their season on the line, they played with little intensity and less urgency. And they appeared unwilling to make the physical sacrifices it takes to win this time of year. Did they quit? Not in a literal sense. At times, though, it sure looked like they did.

The most glaring sequence came early in the third quarter, after Baltimore raced to a 21-0 halftime lead by stifling Pittsburgh’s offense and befuddling their defense with simple read-option plays. Pittsburgh took the ball on its opening possession of the second half, drove the field and scored. Then, on the first play of Baltimore’s ensuing drive, Alex Highsmith sacked Lamar Jackson for a 10-yard loss. Baltimore faced 2nd-and-20, and Pittsburgh had momentum. They should have been geeked up and flying around like demons.

They were not. They played the next three downs like a last-place NBA team slogging through their 50th game of the regular season. Poor execution, shoddy tackling, and a lack of effort while pursuing the football allowed Baltimore to move 80 yards to score, restoring their three-touchdown lead and putting the game away.

First, on that 2nd-and-20 play, Tylan Wallace turned a simple ten-yard sit route along the sideline into a 21-yard gain by dragging Minkah Fitzpatrick for five yards while three Pittsburgh defenders jogged towards the football.

Then, after a jet sweep picked up 15 yards, Derek Henry steamrolled through the heart of the defense for a 44-yard score without ever being touched. Montravious Adams got blown up on the play, Patrick Queen couldn’t get off his block, and Fitzpatrick took a bad path to the ball. Worse of all was Joey Porter Jr, who had an angle on Henry as he broke past the linebacker level and could have at least slowed him down with a good effort. Instead, Porter waved at him, then trotted behind Henry as he rumbled towards the end zone.

That play epitomized the effort of the defense on a night where Baltimore rushed for an unfathomable 299 yards (it would have been 300 had Jackson not taken a knee on the game’s final play). Which begs the question, What happened?

Never thought I’d do a film breakdown where I had to question the effort and desire of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But here we are. Watch if you dare. The film don’t lie. pic.twitter.com/5TKr6x0hGj

— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) January 12, 2025

If you had the stomach to watch the Twitter video above, you saw it clear as day. A seemingly tired Steelers team showed little hustle and less desire to tackle. That, from the highest-paid defense in the NFL. Had they simply been out-schemed, or physically over-matched, you could understand it easier. But a lack of effort? Of will? From a star-studded unit? In a playoff game? Against the Ravens?

Hard to believe.

I’m not in that locker room, so I don’t know what really happened. Usually, though, when a team displays that sort of effort, it’s a sign they want things to be over. They just want it to end. Steelers’ players were reportedly unhappy that Mike Tomlin made them practice in pads last week, which is rarely done at this juncture of the season. Were they exhausted? Was a third matchup against Henry simply too physically taxing? Was the fact that the scheme seemed stale, and that Baltimore seemed comfortable on both sides of the ball operating against it, discouraging to the players? That’s all uncertain, but possible.

What is not uncertain is that Baltimore was tougher. They played with more desire. They were more physical. They simply wanted it more.

Which brings us to much tougher questions. What now? How do the Steelers proceed?

There are no easy answers. I mentioned Pittsburgh had the highest-paid defense in the NFL this season. That will be true again in 2025. Cam Heyward, great as he was this year, will be 36. Larry Ogunjobi will be 31. So too will T.J. Watt, who slowed considerably as the season progressed. Elandon Roberts, who is a free agent, will be 31 as well. Donte Jackson and Cam Sutton are both free agents and will both be 30. Minkah Fitzpatrick, whose splash plays have declined significantly the past two seasons, will be 29. It is not a young unit.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Steelers head into 2025 without a signed quarterback. I’ve made my feelings known about Russell Wilson. I love his enthusiasm. I love his passion. I just don’t love his game anymore. Defenses figured Wilson out about a month ago — take away his primary read, rally to the checkdown and forget everything else — and the offense sputtered in place thereafter. His ceiling is defined, and it’s not high enough to win a championship.

Whether Justin Fields can get Pittsburgh there is debatable. I would put my chips on the 25-year-old Fields well before the 36-year-old Wilson, however. Or maybe Pittsburgh will make a run at a veteran free agent. Sam Darnold is the only feasible option in a class loaded with current backups (Jameis Winston, Jimmy Garoppolo, Drew Lock, Jacoby Brissett). One thing is certain: there is no future Ben Roethlisberger in the quarterback market.

Which brings us to the coaching staff. Mike Tomlin will almost certainly return. For the first time in his tenure in Pittsburgh, a majority of fans may view that unfavorably. The future of Tomlin’s coordinators is less certain. Arthur Smith has interviews scheduled with the Jets and Bears for their head coaching vacancies, while the performance of Teryl Austin’s unit, and the scheme behind it, deserves serious contemplation. I will not be surprised to see one or both of them gone. Which will put the Steelers at a pivotal moment. In what direction do they want to go? Continue down their well-worn, established path, or branch out in search of a new approach?

If I had my druthers, I’d re-sign Fields, pair him with a young coordinator who embraces offensive football in the 2020s, draft speed on the perimeter and build from there. I’d part ways with Austin, revamp the secondary and the pass-rush approach, and learn to defend read-options and RPOs. That’s a lot of change for a franchise that cherishes stability. But as Tomlin likes to say, it’s time to get comfortable being uncomfortable. That mantra cannot apply simply to the players.

For now, it stands to be a long winter as the Steelers sort through the rubble of a once-promising season. They have some hard choices to make, with no simple solutions in front of them.

Follow me on Twitter @KTSmithFFSN and check out my “Call Sheet Daily” podcast, which runs Monday-Friday at 11 AM on all major platforms.