The NFL playoffs kick off on Saturday with the Wild Card round that features one of the most compelling slates of first-round matchups in years, given the fact that every team in the postseason this year won at least ten games, and the title is wide open.
One former player has his eye on one particular team, which he believes is “out of excuses” after years of playoff disappointments.
On Saturday morning’s NFL pregame show on ESPN, former quarterback Alex Smith said, “I think all the pressure is on Baltimore. They lead the league in Pro Bowlers again. They’re most likely going to have the MVP again. They’re playing at home. There are no more excuses.”
“There are no more excuses. … I think all the pressure is on Baltimore to get this done.” 😳
Alex Smith says the Steelers are playing with “house money” against the Ravens in the AFC Wild Card game 👀 pic.twitter.com/m5LD8WaxD4
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 11, 2025
Smith minced no words when pointing out the Ravens as the team with all the pressure.
At the same time, he added that their all-too-familiar opponents, the Pittsburgh Steelers, are playing with “house money” since nobody expected them to be in this position last season when Kenny Pickett was the quarterback, and there was little to no hope.
There is certainly pressure on Baltimore to finally get over the hump, but it’s disingenuous to act like the Steelers are playing with house money.
Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game in eight years and has lost five postseason games in a row.
Even though Smith pointed out that head coach Mike Tomlin is doing an incredible job once again, the reality is that this team has been churning out 8-to-10-win seasons with no playoff success for nearly a decade, with nothing to show for it.
Steeler fans are restless, too, and one of these fanbases will be highly disappointed on Saturday night.
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