The Steelers have won 80 regular-season games in the past eight seasons. They haven't won a playoff game in that same stretch, going 0-5. Tomlin said Tuesday his players frequently joke with him about one of his favorite cliches: "Two is a pattern." What about five?

Is Tomlin holding the Steelers back? Is it the other way around? Could it be both? There's much more to this story than the obvious.

The Pittsburgh Steelers scratched and clawed out another non-losing season this year, and head coach Mike Tomlin has yet to have one in 18 years. But,