Steelers' Pat Freiermuth Optimistic About This Team's Future

As the Pittsburgh Steelers headed into their Wild Card game against the Baltimore Ravens, they not only had to beat their division rival (who happened to be one of the hottest teams in the league), but overcome this historical obstacle of postseason loss. The Steelers haven't won a playoff game since the 2016 season, and Head Coach Mike Tomlin's playoff legacy isn't the strongest. Pittsburgh is often good enough to make it there, but hasn't been good enough to leave with a win in recent years. 

One of the things that Tomlin says he hates about losing is the many deserving players you want to win for, like Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt. Heyward was with the team when they won in 2016, but Watt has never won in the postseason. He shared his frustrations over that fact and said he hopes they can succeed during his time with the team. 

Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth however, chooses to look at the bright side. According to a video posted to X by Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Freiermuth isn't happy with the ending, but is pleased with the team's trajectory. He noted that the organization has never played for a division title during his four seasons in black and gold until this year. 

"Obviously we started off the season how we wanted to," said Freiermuth. "We were 10-3 at one point, with a game going into Baltimore with a chance to win the division. That's the first time we were able to have that opportunity since I've been here. So I feel like we're going in the right direction as an offense and as a team for sure, but obviously, we've got to figure out how to finish stronger during the last part of the season."

Earlier this season, Freiermuth credited his teammate quarterback Russell Wilson with helping bring more leadership to the Pittsburgh offense. Tomlin is always credited with building a dynamic culture in the Steel City, one that players gravitate towards, and he chose Wilson to be that veteran presence the team has lacked since Ben Roethlisberger retired. Freiermuth said Wilson relentlessly motivates his teammates, and the younger players gravitate toward him. He added, "I think we needed Russ, and Russ needed us." It is hard to deny that the two seem like a solid fit. However, Wilson's future in Pittsburgh is unclear.    

Wilson is in Pittsburgh on a one-year contract. It seems unlikely that both Wilson and Justin Fields will return to the Steel City. The team must decide which one, if any, to bring back. 

Did The Steelers Outperform Expectations?

While no one is happy with how the season ended, and the 10-7 record might be the same, it is hard to deny that some progress was made. It helped to see the wins look more convincing than the ones in 2023. There is room for improvement on both sides of the ball, but the offense, in particular, faced significant adversity. At the start of the season, many predicted the Steelers would be in last place in the AFC North; few, if any, expected them to compete for the top spot.  

The Steelers may have lost those last four games of the regular season, but honestly, that is what everyone predicted before the start of the season. The hope was that the team would start fast so they could make the playoffs because three games in 10 days against some of the best teams in the league is just unreasonable. They managed to do precisely that despite losing their starting quarterback for the first six weeks and having multiple offensive linemen go down. The ending might be disappointing, but there is growth. 

Do you agree with Freiermuth that there is an improvement from prior seasons? Click to comment below. 

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