{"id":12567,"date":"2025-01-13T14:36:27","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T13:36:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=12567"},"modified":"2025-01-13T14:36:28","modified_gmt":"2025-01-13T13:36:28","slug":"afcs-elite-dominate-as-2025-divisional-round-mirrors-last-seasons-powerhouses-steelers-stuck-in-playoff-purgatory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/afcs-elite-dominate-as-2025-divisional-round-mirrors-last-seasons-powerhouses-steelers-stuck-in-playoff-purgatory\/","title":{"rendered":"AFC\u2019s elite dominate as 2025 divisional round mirrors last season\u2019s powerhouses; Steelers stuck in playoff purgatory"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in a frustratingly familiar position. Following their wild card loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the team has now dropped six consecutive playoff games. This losing streak ties head coach Mike Tomlin with the second-longest postseason skid in <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/nfl\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>NFL<\/a> history. Steelers fans are left wondering: how does this franchise break free from its perpetual playoff mediocrity?<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AFC playoff picture remains unchanged<\/h2><p>With the Steelers out, the AFC divisional round will feature the same four teams as last year: the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, and Houston Texans. The matchups have shifted, but the teams remain unchanged, reflecting the consistent dominance of these franchises.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">AFC teams in last year's Divisional Round<br>Chiefs<br>Bills<br>Ravens<br>Texans<br><br>AFC teams in this year's Divisional Round<br><br>Chiefs<br>Bills<br>Ravens<br>Texans <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jn4CGhjiiQ\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/jn4CGhjiiQ<\/a><\/p>&mdash; NFL on CBS &#127944; (@NFLonCBS) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFLonCBS\/status\/1878554864654975279?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>January 12, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>The Chiefs, the top seed, are set to face the fourth-seeded Texans, while the second-seeded Bills will take on the third-seeded Ravens. If both higher seeds win, the AFC Championship game will repeat last year&rsquo;s lineup. This mirrors the 2022-23 seasons, where Kansas City hosted Cincinnati for back-to-back title matchups.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Steelers&rsquo; postseason problem<\/h2><p>Pittsburgh has maintained a remarkable regular-season record under Tomlin, never finishing below .500 in his 18-year tenure. Yet, they haven&rsquo;t won a playoff game since 2016. This puts the team in a limbo that fans find increasingly intolerable: too good to bottom out but not good enough to advance in January.<\/p><p>The playoffs demand an elite quarterback, and Pittsburgh simply doesn&rsquo;t have one. Regular-season success often comes from capitalizing on opponents&rsquo; errors. In the postseason, though, teams with quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, or Lamar Jackson rarely make those mistakes. Pittsburgh has lacked a top-tier quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger&rsquo;s prime, and without one, the ceiling remains low.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Draft dilemmas and quarterback solutions<\/h2><p>The Steelers&rsquo; consistent performance under Tomlin comes with a drawback: no access to blue-chip QB prospects in the draft. This year, Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward would require a trade package too steep for Pittsburgh. Free agency isn&rsquo;t a solution either, with limited options like Sam Darnold unlikely to change the team&rsquo;s trajectory.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Things haven&rsquo;t been the same since this day. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Steelers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>#Steelers<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>#NFL<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/d2i3wKDro0\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/d2i3wKDro0<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Blitz_Burgh\/status\/1878276741447180726?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>January 12, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>The one intriguing possibility? Aaron Rodgers. The 41-year-old four-time MVP has undeniable talent, but his age, cost, and personality bring risks. Rodgers might be Pittsburgh&rsquo;s best shot at postseason relevance in 2025, but he&rsquo;s no guarantee.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Divisional round matchups set<\/h2><p>With the wild card round nearly complete, the NFL has confirmed the divisional matchups:<\/p><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AFC:<\/h4><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs, Saturday, Jan. 18, 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN\/ABC)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Jan. 19, 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS)<\/li>\n<\/ul><h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">NFC:<\/h4><ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions, Saturday, Jan. 18, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Philadelphia Eagles vs. Vikings\/Rams winner, Sunday, Jan. 19, 3 p.m. ET (NBC)<\/li>\n<\/ul><p>The stage is set for another round of intense playoff action. For Steelers fans, however, the offseason looms with more questions than answers. Will Pittsburgh finally prioritize finding a franchise quarterback, or will history repeat yet again?<\/p><p><strong>Read More:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/nfl-divisional-round-schedule-when-where-to-watch\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>NFL Divisional Round Schedule 2025: Divisional Round Games Date, Kick-Off time and Where to watch?<\/a><\/p><p>Image: Imagn Images<\/p>\n<div class=\"mm-layout mm-layout-type-post mm-layout-slot4\">\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AFC top four unchanged<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12576,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mux_skip_reasons":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[10,1202,597,876,1104,14,197],"class_list":["post-12567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl","tag-baltimore-ravens","tag-buffallo-bills","tag-buffalo-bills","tag-houston-texans","tag-kansas-city-cheifs","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-pittsburgh-steelers"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>AFC&rsquo;s elite dominate as 2025 divisional round mirrors last season&rsquo;s powerhouses; Steelers stuck in playoff purgatory - The Playoffs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"AFC&rsquo;s top four teams&mdash;Chiefs, Bills, Ravens, Texans&mdash;repeat divisional feat. 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