If the Colts take us

You do realize Cowher made to AFC Championships with Neil O'Donnell, Kordell Stewart and a rookie QB, right?

Can Tomlin say this? He hasn't sniffed a playoff win with ANY QB not named Roethlisberger.

 

If / When they are eliminated from the playoffs then it makes sense to prepare for the next season. This is how smart teams operate. Play the young guys if /when this happens. That is " throwing in the towel. " Come March 2026, expensive cap players that performed well below standards should be cut!

 

Ok. I guess when we get eliminated in week 17 or 18, or in the playoffs, we can quit then. That's fine.

 

It's a much different league now though.

I don't think you can Marty-ball your way to the AFCC anymore. Too many rules changes that make it so it's harder to play good defense. And too many good to great QBs in the AFC for most of Tomlin's career. That's why Ben "only" has 6 probowls. Pretty much all of his career with at least two of Brady, Manning, or Mahomes in their prime.

Really hard to make the AFCC on the back of your great RB and crushing D. Who's the last team to do it? The Titans in 2019?

Baltimore couldn't get to the AFCC game last year even though they had an all-time great season at RB and a QB that finished 2nd in MVP voting. Defense wasn't amazing, but they weren't bad. 10th in yards allowed. 9th in points allowed.

In the NFC, I think it would have been possible over the last few seasons (the Eagles were kind of of this mode?). If not the NFCC, at least to the divisional round. I think that the Eagles were a very strong team last year who certainly deserved to win. But could they have gotten through the gauntlet of the AFC if they had to play 2 or 3 of the Bills, Rats, and Chiefs? I don't know. Those were all elite teams.

If you don't have an elite QB, you really want to be in today's NFC vs. AFC. Even if you do. Would the Rats / Lamar be known for losing in the playoffs if they got to play on the other side of the bracket?