Mike Tomlin Refuses to Make “Excuses” as Aaron Rodgers Seemingly Avoids DK Metcalf After Costly Drop

After another brutal postseason exit, losing 30-6 to the Houston Texans in their Wild-Card game on Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach made it clear that he will not hide under excuses. It was Pittsburgh’s seventh straight playoff loss, the longest active postseason skid in the NFL.

One of the most glaring moments that led to the unravelling of the Steelers came early in the game. A costly drop by DK Metcalf appeared to change the way Aaron Rodgers looked his way the rest of the night. Now, Metcalf had two catches in the first quarter. Then he disappeared from the game plan until the fourth.

The defining moment that changed things came on a second-and-10 play in the opening quarter. Metcalf shook Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. with a sharp move and broke wide open. Rodgers delivered a perfect throw, right to Metcalf’s hands. The ball hit him squarely and fell incomplete.

Rodgers stared in disbelief as the pass hit the turf. It was arguably the worst drop of the NFL postseason so far, and the disappointment seemed to linger. Metcalf was rarely targeted by Rodgers afterward, and the wide receiver finished the night as a non-factor in an offense that never found rhythm.

“I’m not going to make excuses,” Tomlin said after the game. “This is a non-excuse business. We didn’t make enough plays, man, and they certainly did.”

Metcalf’s rough night came in his first game back from suspension for the infamous incident in which he threw a punch at a Detroit Lions fan. After the suspension was over, Metcalf had posted a celebratory Instagram Story showing a man rejoicing after being released from confinement. He had captioned it “Home free.”  The on-field performance on Monday did little to help his already shaky reputation.

Tomlin, on his part, acknowledged the offense struggled across the board, including up front. When asked if the offensive line took a step back after playing well down the stretch, Tomlin did not hesitate in pointing out his team’s slide.

“Certainly it was a step back,” said the head coach. “I respect their front and their capabilities, but we certainly didn’t play to our desires today. It wasn’t like they were blitzing a lot. That’s not their style. Four-man rush group, but it certainly was significant.”

Monday night’s game was competitive through three quarters, but everything unraveled when Sheldon Rankins scooped up a fumble from a Will Anderson Jr. sack and returned it 33 yards for a touchdown. Houston’s top-ranked defense took over from there, as Pittsburgh ended up maintaining the longest active postseason skid in the NFL.

“Certainly a disappointing end to our season,” Tomlin said. “We’ve got to give Houston a lot of credit, in particular their defensive unit. I thought they ruled the day.”

With the loss, Tomlin matched former Bengals coach Marvin Lewis for the longest playoff losing streak by an NFL head coach. The Steelers have not won a postseason game since the 2016 divisional round against Kansas City. Whether Tomlin returns for a 20th season in Pittsburgh remains an open question, one he declined to address.

“I’m not in the big-picture perspective,” Tomlin said. “I’m just not in that mindset. You pour everything that you have into these performances and what goes on tonight.”

The night was historic for all the wrong reasons for the Steelers. They lost a scheduled Monday night home game for the first time since October 14, 1991, snapping a 23-game winning streak.

Rodgers finished with 146 passing yards as the Steelers totaled just 175 yards of offense. Houston added insult to injury late, when Calen Bullock returned a Rodgers interception 50 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. It may have been the final throw of Rodgers’ 21-year career.

The four-time MVP said he will take time before deciding his future. “I’m not going to make any emotional decisions,” Rodgers said. “I’m disappointed. It was such a fun year. Obviously, a lot of adversity, but a lot of fun.”

Despite forcing Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud into five fumbles, recovering two, and intercepting him once, the Steelers never capitalized. They failed to score a single touchdown.

“I didn’t feel like we ever got the momentum on our side,” Rodgers said. “We had a lot of chances. Defense played really good in the first half. They have a good defense. But we had a lot of opportunities.”

Those missed opportunities echoed loudly inside Acrisure Stadium. As the clock wound down, boos rained down, and chants calling for Tomlin’s firing could be heard. And just like that, another season ended the same way it has for nearly a decade in Pittsburgh.