If you are like me, you love football. You love everything about the game, and you’ll watch no matter what.

I’ve never been one of those people who is going to blow smoke to the point where they say they aren’t going to watch the playoffs just because their favorite team has been eliminated. No, not me. I enjoy the game far too much to not watch these critical games as the schedule comes to its end in just a couple weeks.

During the AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, you saw some high level football between two heavyweights in the conference.

My takeaway after the game? The Steelers are pretty far away from being in that echelon of NFL teams.

If I’m being completely honest, the difference between the Steelers and these two teams was glaring. And it wasn’t just with the talent on the roster, but also with the coaching on the field. The scheme. The overall plan, and the execution of said plan.

These teams were on a different level.

Think about what Steelers fans were forced to watch on both offense and defense down the stretch of the regular season.

Offensively, the Steelers struggled to get a first down. Yes, gaining 10 yards was oftentimes like pulling teeth. If the team was lucky enough to move the ball with chunk plays, untimely turnovers occurred and often took points off the board. It was painful to watch the Steelers try to move the ball, both run and pass, to finish out the 2024 season.

Defensively, the team’s scheme had been figured out, and as opposing teams took T.J. Watt out of the game, the back end couldn’t hold up in coverage for the pass rush to get home. The timely takeaways evaporated, and the team was seen having communication breakdowns before the play, and disgust in one another after the play. For the most expensive defense in the league, nothing came easy for the Steelers defense down the stretch.

Now let’s take a look at the Bills and Chiefs, two teams who are not just coached well, but are also able to execute the plan. No team is buttoned up more than the Chiefs, and, yes, there are mistakes made on the football field. You saw a botched handoff by Patrick Mahomes and the Bills fail in critical moments on Sunday; however, you can’t watch this game and feel as if the Steelers are even remotely close to this juncture of the postseason.

What was the most obvious, and I know I’m not alone in this regard, is how the teams who are vying for a Super Bowl every year are the teams who have a franchise quarterback. It can be that simple, and it illustrates the haves and have-nots in the league. Sadly, the Steelers are in quarterback purgatory, and that is a very difficult place to get out of. Often times it takes luck, see the 2004 NFL Draft, or a bad season to get yourself in position to have the shot at a franchise signal caller in the NFL Draft.

Either way you slice it, coaching, player execution, roster construction and quarterback prowess, the Steelers are not close to contending for the conference title anytime soon. Can that change quickly? It absolutely can, but there isn’t much reason for hope surrounding the black-and-gold as another tumultuous offseason is on deck for the Steelers organization.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the rest of the lengthy offseason.