The Pittsburgh Steelers snuck their way into the playoffs as fortune favored their path to the postseason in beating a resting Baltimore Ravens team and other results playing out as needed. Still, Pittsburgh is in the postseason and looking to make some noise under longtime coach Mike Tomlin despite coming into it as the AFC’s No. 7 seed and taking on the Buffalo Bills on Monday.
Pittsburgh Steelers Aim for Playoff History
Since the NFL went to seven playoff teams from each conference ahead of the 2020 season, No. 7 seeds have gone a combined 0-6 in the playoffs with several lopsided results among those defeats. The Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, and Seattle Seahawks are the six teams to have qualified as No. 7 seeds, and none have advanced even one round.
Thus, there has never been a No. 7 seed to make the Super Bowl or even win a playoff game, which is not good news for Pittsburgh’s hopes Monday against the Bills.
That three-year window is a small sample size, however, and historically, there have been some lower-seeded teams to make improbable runs in the playoffs. Since the Wild Card postseason format was adopted in 1980, seven non-division champion teams have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.
The 1980 Oakland Raiders were the first to do it after entering as a No. 4 seed at a time when the league only had three divisions in each conference. The 1997 Denver Broncos and 2000 Baltimore Ravens also accomplished the same feat after entering as No. 4 seeds.
Pittsburgh has seen more recent success as a Wild Card team as well. The Steelers reached Super Bowl 40 in 2005 after entering the playoffs as a No. 6 seed and took care of business there with a 21-10 triumph over the Seahawks.
Two years later, the 2007 New York Giants took down the New England Patriots in the legendary Super Bowl 43 after entering the playoffs as a No. 5 seed. The 2010 Packers (No. 6 seed) and 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 5 seed) are the last two teams to win the Lombardi Trophy as Wild Card teams.
Pittsburgh (10-7) hopes to become the first No. 7 seed to join that group this year, starting with taking down Buffalo in Monday’s road matchup that was pushed back from Sunday afternoon due to weather concerns.
MORE: NFL Playoff Bracket
The Steelers last won a playoff game in 2016 and have made it to the postseason just three times in the last six seasons as they have continued to take a step back from the highest highs under Tomlin.
Time will tell whether Tomlin remains in Pittsburgh beyond this year, and how Monday’s game goes could certainly be key in that regard.
Want to predict the results of the 2023 NFL postseason with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? How about looking into in-depth breakdowns of team depth charts or the NFL playoff schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with all that and more!
