For the 2023 season, I would have described the Pittsburgh Steelers as overachievers. They got to 10-7 and snuck into the playoffs despite starting three different quarterbacks, dealing with a whole rash of injuries on defense, and having Matt Canada as their offensive coordinator. The 2024 season was quite different, and leaves the Steelers on the other side of the coin. They greatly underachieved, and there are far less excuses to point to for their shortcomings.
Last offseason, it was easy to convince yourself that if the Steelers could just get the right quarterback, or if the defense could just stay healthy, or if they could just get a real offensive coordinator that their problems would go away.