The Pittsburgh Steelers have failed to win more than nine games in either of the past two seasons, posting an overall record of 17-13-1 during that timespan. In both years, they finished 7th in the AFC, just outside of qualifying for the postseason. It’s the second time under Mike Tomlin’s tenure in which they have finished 7th in the conference during the past 13 seasons, having never finished worse than 8-8.
Earlier this year, the league approved a rule change that expands the postseason to seven seeds per conference, adding a third wildcard team to the format in addition to the four teams who qualify by virtue of winning their division.