Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin Jessica Rapfogel-USA TODAY Sports

Are the Steelers becoming the Cowboys of the AFC?

By Aaron Becker | Last updated 1/25/23

The Steelers and Cowboys are two of the most storied franchises in the NFL. However, all they're turning out to be, to some, is history.

Both organizations seem to be stuck in the past.

"Art II is just Jerry Jones with less expensive teeth," said popular Pittsburgh radio host Colin Dunlap on 93.7 The Fan. "I don't know how else to say it, it's the same organization ... they're built on nostalgia, they're built on what they were, they're built on a logo, they're built on the past."

Art II is Art Rooney, the Steelers' owner.

The Steelers are the AFC's Cowboys and the Cowboys are the NFC's Steelers.
Built on a logo, tradition, nostalgia, sentimentality and some wistful thoughts of the past --- and all of it takes away from what really matters.
Wins.
— Colin Dunlap (@colin_dunlap) January 23, 2023

With Dallas' loss to the 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs, its brutal streak of missing the NFC title game continues. The last time the Cowboys were in the conference championship was in 1995.

It's a far worse streak the Pittsburgh's, but the Steelers haven't won the AFC title game since the 2010 season or the Super Bowl since the 2008 season.

Pittsburgh has won three playoff games over the past 13 years, and the current streak of six seasons without winning a playoff game is the longest since before the 1970s.

"They'd rather tell you about [Roger] Staubach and [Terry] Bradshaw and whomever than the reality of what's happening right now," Dunlap said of the teams, referencing their Hall of Fame stars. "Other places have leapfrogged them both, that's just the reality."

The NFL is passing up organizations like the Steelers and Cowboys. If they can't find their way back into some meaningful postseason football, some major changes may soon need to be made.

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