Whether sports curses are real is a debate for another day. But there’s no denying the NFL has had its fair share over the years, from the Curse of Bobby Layne and the Madden Curse to the New York Jets‘ quarterback curse. It’s far less common, though, for a curse to be tied to one particular player. And recently, some believe they’ve found the reason behind the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ playoff drought: Antonio Brown.

Brown spent nearly a decade in the Steel City and established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the league. However, things went downhill for the Steelers after the 2016 season. During the divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs, Chris Boswell recorded six field goals and helped the Steelers advance to the AFC Championship Round, as the Steelers became the first team to win a playoff game without a touchdown since the 2006 Indianapolis Colts.

However, that division round win was the Steelers’ last playoff win to date. And now, some believe that Brown started that playoff drought in the first place. Soon after the victory, Brown live-streamed a Facebook video from the locker room as part of his brand deal. The video also featured the then-head coach, Mike Tomlin’s speech, which Tomlin wasn’t aware of.

Since that video, the Steelers have appeared in seven postseason matchups and never won a single game in almost a decade. Their first loss during the unwanted cycle was against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship round of the 2016 season. After the loss, Tomlin guided the Steelers to six more playoff appearances, but all ended with one-and-done, including five wild-card round losses.

Brown, meanwhile, spent two more seasons with the Steelers before his eventual fallout with former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the franchise. While he never intentionally cursed the team like Layne did, according to the folklore, it did not just stay in Pittsburgh; even years after he left, it seemingly followed him to every team he played for afterward.

The Steelers traded Antonio Brown to the Oakland Raiders, but he never played for the Raiders and demanded his release. Oakland agreed, and Brown ultimately signed a one-year contract with the Patriots, where he played just one game. At the same time, before the Steelers had traded the receiver to the Raiders, the Buffalo Bills had almost acquired him, but it didn’t materialize, as Brown didn’t want to play in Buffalo.

And as that happened, both the Steelers and the Raiders missed the playoffs, while the Patriots and the Bills were eliminated in the Wild Card round. Soon after, a social media post about the “Antonio Brown curse” went viral, as all four teams had been knocked out within the span of a week. In fact, Brown had also worked out with the New Orleans Saints, and they were also eliminated.

He eventually signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won a Super Bowl. The Steelers, meanwhile, are still searching for their first playoff victory since 2017.

10 wins may not be enough for the Steelers to make the playoffs

Under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers posted another double-digit win season last year to earn a playoff berth. However, it’s also fair to argue they benefited from a weaker AFC North, with both Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson dealing with injury-plagued seasons. Fast forward to now, and after Tomlin stepped down from the head coaching role, Mike McCarthy has become the head coach. And according to ESPN’s Evan Cohen, a 10-win season won’t be enough for McCarthy to lead the Steelers to the postseason.

“I’m just not sold, that this is all gonna work, unfortunately,” Cohen said. “Mike McCarthy always brings you double-digit wins, I get it. But that may not even be enough to make the playoffs in that division this year. If you buy into Baltimore, you buy into Cincinnati, you could win 10 games if you’re the Pittsburgh Steelers, and not make the playoffs.”

It’s rare for McCarthy to end up with a single-digit one season. However, with Burrow and Jackson healthy, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens are expected to give a tough fight to the Steelers to win the division. Both teams have undergone major changes. The Bengals are returning with Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins, with the addition of Dexter Lawrence on the defense.

The Ravens, meanwhile, are starting a new era under Jesse Minter’s guidance and have also bolstered their defense after signing Trey Hendrickson. So, it’s fair to argue that the job to make the playoffs is not going to be easy for Mike McCarthy, even though the Steelers manage to win 10 games.