The Buffalo Bills and the Pittsburgh Steelers are two teams that are nothing short of integral to their respective cities’ identities. The fan bases are extremely devoted, and the cities themselves rise and fall with the fortune of their teams. Both teams, however, have seen almost identical seasons year in and year out for the better part of the last seven years.
The Bills have been in Super Bowl contention every year since quarterback Josh Allen broke out in 2019. The MVP frontrunner consistently performs at an elite level each year and leads teams to massive production and huge wins with little help around him. He’s absolutely a generational talent and one of the most entertaining players in the league. Despite all of this, the 28-year-old has never even made a Super Bowl appearance — falling short to the Chiefs almost every year of his career in the postseason. After this year’s AFC Championship, Allen is 0-4 against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in the playoffs.
This failure to win when it matters is nothing new for Buffalo. Quarterback Jim Kelly appeared in four straight super bowls in the mid-1990s for the Bills, and lost every single one. Even when surrounded by hall-of-fame talents like Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and Bruce Smith, the team couldn’t get the job done and went 0-4 in their consecutive super bowl appearances – losing by double-digit deficits in three of said four. Buffalo is still yet to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Nevertheless, Bills Mafia remain among the most passionate and dedicated fans in the league. The team means everything to the city of Buffalo, and their unwavering support continues despite the team’s heartbreaks.
By contrast, the Steelers franchise has been storied by success in the Super Bowl era. Pittsburgh leads the league with six total Super Bowl wins and has remained almost constantly competitive with the league’s best. They have 26 hall-of-famers – the third most all-time — and a win percentage of .590, the second-best in the super bowl era.
Like the Bills, the Steelers’ fanbase is extremely devoted. One could argue that it is easier to be a fan of a team with constant success rather than heartbreak, and they’d probably be right. But Pittsburgh’s identity as a city remains based around the Steelers. The fans never fail to show up; even at away games, you can see the stands filled with black and gold. The team has an extremely rich culture, shown through fan traditions like the terrible towel and the playing of Styx’s Renegade.
Also similarly to the Bills, the Steelers have found themselves in difficult situations over the past six years. Between constantly subpar quarterback play, questionable play calling, and underwhelming free agent signings and draft picks, the Steelers wind up competing for playoff spots every year and proceeding to lose in the wild card round. Each year since 2018, the Steelers’ record has been at or very slightly above .500 and the team has either missed playoffs or lost in the first round.
All this has created conditions for the Steelers that essentially render them too good to tank for better draft position, but not nearly good enough to compete for a super bowl. Pittsburgh just can’t seem to get their hands on a good quarterback, as they rarely fall to the mid-to-late first round (where Pittsburgh ends up each year due to barely missing playoffs or losing in the first round), especially with the current quarterback-needy state of the NFL and the lack of impressive free agents and draft prospects. And, if nothing else, teams simply need good quarterbacks to win Super Bowls.
It’s just difficult to improve if the teams can’t obtain higher draft stock to select franchise players at needed positions. Many of the youngest, most exciting teams right now – the Commanders, Chargers, Texans, Broncos, Bengals, and so on – have gotten the majority of their franchise players via high draft picks and are so exciting for that very reason. Stars from these teams like Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels, Pat Surtain II, Derek Stingley Jr, Will Anderson Jr, CJ Stroud, Rashawn Slater, Ja’Marr Chase, Joe Alt, and more were very early first-round selections and have torn the league up since their careers began. After making playoffs but falling short each year, the Steelers pick around 18-24; the Bills, around 24-30. Great prospects just don’t fall that far on the board and are very unlikely to come by late in the draft. Season in and season out, the Steelers remain mediocre and the Bills remain underwhelming in a vicious cycle.
Both franchises’ fans deserve better for the energy they devote to their teams. The main objective of every team in the NFL is to win Super Bowls; just being competitive doesn’t matter if the teams can’t get the job done. So how should each team work to fix their postseason woes?
Of course, it would be foolish of the Bills to trade or let go of a generational talent like Josh Allen. And it would be stupid of the Steelers to move on from head coach Mike Tomlin, given that he has had little to work with in recent years and has – for better or for worse in the long run – exceeded expectations each year. The next step for these franchises isn’t to tank and lose intentionally for better draft position, nor is it to lay off front office or coaching staff members. Rather, the teams need to identify what it is that causes their issues and take action immediately. For the Bills, it may be poor game planning when matching up against teams like Cincinnati and Kansas City in the playoffs. For the Steelers, it may be stubbornness when it comes to retaining coaching hires and draft picks, or changing the way that they approach the off-season.
Both the Steelers and the Bills have passionate fan bases and historic legacies, but the combination of their regular season success and postseason shortcomings in recent years have put them in situations that make improvement extremely difficult. While their paths may differ — Buffalo falling short in deep playoff runs and Pittsburgh struggling to advance past the first round — the frustration remains the same. To break these cycles, both teams must take a hard look at their organizations and implement any necessary changes. Until then, their devoted fans will continue to wait, hoping that the next season will finally be the one.
