It has now been 17 years since the Pittsburgh Steelers last celebrated a Super Bowl championship. In the years since, the organization has had multiple talented rosters and plenty of regular-season success, but the postseason results have rarely matched the expectations. Much of the fan base's frustration centered around former Head Coach Mike Tomlin and the missed opportunities that occurred during some of the most talented years of his tenure.
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During the days of the Steelers' elite offensive trio, touted the Killer B's, the defense became one of the worst in football.
No stretch better represents those missed opportunities than the late 2010s during the “Killer B’s” era. With Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown leading the offense, Pittsburgh had one of the most explosive units in the entire NFL. On paper, the Steelers looked like a team that should have been competing for Super Bowls every season.
Instead, the era largely ended without anything meaningful to show for it. While the roster was loaded with star power, the team repeatedly fell short when the games mattered the most. Many fans point to the coaching decisions and overall preparation under Tomlin as a major reason why such a talented group failed to reach the Super Bowl. Arguably, the most glaring example came during the 2017 season.
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Former Steelers long snapper Kam Canaday warms up prior to a home game in 2019.
Even players on the roster recognized just how talented the team was. Long snapper Kameron Canaday, who joined Pittsburgh in 2017 after going undrafted out of Portland State, recently reflected on how dominant the roster looked from the inside on a recent episode of the Run The Rack Podcast.
“I was on some of the best squads there. We should have been to at least one Super Bowl. My first year there was 2017. We had the three B's. L. Bell, AB and Ben. Martavis Bryant,” Canaday said. “We were stacked on offense. We had probably one of the best o-lines in the league with Dave DeCastro, Maurkice Pouncey, Al Villanueva, Ramon Foster. Those guys were just veteran beasts.”
Throughout the regular season, Pittsburgh looked every bit like the contender many expected it to be. The Steelers finished with a 13-3 record, won the AFC North, and secured the number two seed in the AFC. Everything appeared to be lining up for a deep playoff run, but the postseason quickly exposed the same issues that had quietly followed Tomlin’s teams for years: poor preparation, slow starts, and an inability to rise to the moment in the biggest games.
The Jacksonville Jaguars dominated early and forced Pittsburgh into a desperate comeback attempt. Defensive breakdowns, early turnovers, and a lack of discipline put the Steelers in a hole they never should have been in. The offense mounted a late rally, the damage had already been done. Jacksonville held on for a stunning 45-42 victory, eliminating Pittsburgh in one of the most shocking playoff losses in franchise history.
“We had no business losing to those guys. That was a heartbreaker,” Canaday said.
For many fans, that loss perfectly captured the frustration surrounding Tomlin’s tenure. A roster loaded with elite talent once again failed to reach its potential, and the team looked unprepared against an opponent it should have beaten.
The 2017 season has since become widely viewed as the biggest failure of Tomlin’s coaching career in Pittsburgh. Despite having one of the most talented teams in the NFL, the Steelers were unable to even reach the AFC Championship Game.
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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin during a regular season game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025 in Baltimore, MD.
Tomlin’s postseason struggles only added to the criticism. Tomlin finished his tenure with an 8-12 playoff record, including a stretch of nine consecutive seasons without a playoff victory. For a coach who consistently finished with winning records, the lack of postseason success became an unavoidable stain on his resume.
Steelers' Playoff Loss Versus Jacksonville Ended Killer B's Era
The shocking playoff loss in the 2017 AFC Divisional Round to the Jaguars quietly marked the beginning of the end for the Killer B's era. Bell never played another game for Pittsburgh after the 2017 season, sitting out the entire 2018 campaign because of contract disputes before eventually moving on in free agency.
Brown remained one of the league’s top receivers in 2018, but his relationship with the team deteriorated late in the season. The following offseason, Pittsburgh traded Brown to the Las Vegas Raiders, officially closing the chapter on one of the most talented offensive trios in franchise history.
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