It would be the Steelers’ worst playoff loss since the AFC championship after the 1994 season.

The No. 1 criticism of coach Mike Tomlin is that despite having a franchise quarterback, the Steelers have won just one postseason game in the past five years and needed the Cincinnati Bengals to implode last season to get it. But there have been mitigating circumstances. The team’s playoff record in that period would be better than 1-3 if not for injuries. I believe the Steelers would have beaten the Denver Broncos last season if Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, DeAngelo Williams, Maurkice Pouncey and Kelvin Beachum had not been hurt. So does Tomlin, who cried after that 23-16 loss, and Art Rooney II, who said, “One of these years, we’re going to go into the playoffs healthy.”

I believe the Steelers also would have beaten the Baltimore Ravens after the 2014 season if Bell had not been injured a week earlier. That injury forced the team to sign Ben Tate off the street and start him. The result was awful.

Even in their overtime loss in Denver after the 2011 season — the franchise’s worst postseason loss since the 1994 season — the Steelers had to play without Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel for much of the game. That’s a big reason the Broncos ran for 131 yards, but there is no justification for allowing Tim Tebow, of all the lousy quarterbacks, to throw for 316 yards, including the 80-yard winner to Demaryius Thomas.

But Rooney II’s wish will come true this week.

There are no excuses for these Steelers.

“None,” Ramon Foster agreed. “I don’t even want to hear ’em. We’ve got everything that we need.”

Stephon Tuitt said Monday that he will play against the Dolphins after missing the past two games with a knee injury. It’s reasonable to think Ladarius Green and Javon Hargrave will play after concussion scares and that Sammie Coates will be able to go after missing the past two games because of a bad hamstring. Williams, who played in the final regular-season game Sunday against the Cleveland Browns after missing seven games with a knee injury, showed he’s ready to step in for Bell in an emergency. The only significant player who will miss the Miami game should be Cam Heyward.

“We’ve never had everybody like this,” Foster said. “This is a blessing, point-blank-period. We’ve got to make the most out of it. Period.”

The Steelers might even get an injury break with the Dolphins. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill hasn’t played since Dec. 11 because of a knee injury. If he can’t go Sunday, backup Matt Moore will get the call again. He and the Miami offense struggled in a 35-14 loss Sunday to the New England Patriots.

None of this guarantees a Steelers win, of course. There are no sure wins in the NFL. The other team gets paid, too.

Go back to that AFC championship at Three Rivers Stadium against the San Diego Chargers after the 1994 season. I know it’s painful, but do it, anyway. If you are of a certain age, you probably still can see Alfred Pupunu catching the ball and running alone up the sideline for a 43-yard touchdown and Tony Martin beating Tim McKyer to score the winning touchdown on a 43-yard pass from Stan Humphries. The Steelers were double-digit favorites and blew a 13-3 second-half lead, losing, 17-13, on an unseasonably warm January day. The Super Bowl video the team talked about at a meeting organized by Eric Green earlier that week never materialized. Many football people call it the worst loss in franchise history.

A loss Sunday would rank next on the list.

All of the Steelers spoke confidently of making a long playoff run after dispatching the Browns, but David DeCastro did offer a word of concern. He said he liked how the offense was playing before Tomlin decided to sit Roethlisberger, Bell, Brown and Pouncey against the Browns to make sure they weren’t injured before the playoffs. DeCastro didn’t question the decision but wondered if the offense might lose a little momentum.

“Yeah, I’m worried about it. This kind of breaks up that rhythm we’ve had. But we’re a veteran group. We’ve got a good leader in Ben. We just have to be on all the screws this week.”

The Steelers also have a good coach. Tomlin made the right call to sit the four offensive players as well as Tuitt and James Harrison on defense. If he deserves criticism, it’s for not also holding out Ryan Shazier and Lawrence Timmons. In any case, Tomlin figures to have the team ready to go Sunday.

“He’s the best football coach in the game,” Mike Mitchell said. “How he puts us in situations and prepares us. … A lot of the stuff isn’t even on the field. It’s off the field. ‘What type of man are you?’ ‘What do you value?’ He’s the best coach I’ve ever had.”

Mitchell went on to say Terry Bradshaw’s criticism of Tomlin last week was “absurd.” Bradshaw called Tomlin “a cheerleader guy” and said he doesn’t know what Tomlin does as a coach.

It was typical Bradshaw nonsense.

But it will be mild compared to the criticism Tomlin will take if the Steelers lose to the Dolphins.

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