The journey toward Super Bowl LII ended far too prematurely for the Pittsburgh Steelers, sending them into offseason mode before we were ready for it. But we are in it now, and are ready to move on, through the Combine, through free agency, through the draft, into OTAs, and beyond.
We have asked and answered a lot of questions over the years and will continue to do so, and at the moment, there seem to be a ton of questions that need answering. A surprise early exit in the postseason will do that to you though, especially when it happens in the way it did.
You can rest assured that we have the questions, and we will be monitoring developments all throughout the offseason process, all the way down to Latrobe. Pending free agents, possible veteran roster cuts, contract extensions, pre-draft visits, pro days, all of it will have its place when the time arises.
Question: Who will be playing in the Super Bowl two weeks from now?
No, unfortunately, this is not a question about the Steelers, although it should be. Short of their frustrating loss a week ago to the Jacksonville Jaguars, they would be in Foxboro write now facing the New England Patriots in a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game.
Instead, it’s the Jaguars and the Patriots, and the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Minnesota Vikings, for the right to claim a new (or old…tiresome even) Super Bowl champion. If the Vikings, Eagles, or Jaguars win, it will be their first ever Super Bowl title. If the Patriots win…well, it would tie the Steelers for the most ever with six. And we don’t want that, do we?
Were I picking who I would like to see win the Super Bowl this year, it would be the Vikings. I also believe that they will be playing in said Super Bowl, as I remain skeptical of Nick Foles. The Patriots are never safe to bet against, so I suppose I’m predicting a Patriots-Vikings Super Bowl. No franchise has lost more Super Bowls than these two franchises with four apiece, though of course the Buffalo Bills also famously have four losses in this stage—in a row.
As for the Steelers, they have not returned to the championship round since 2010, when they lost to the Green Bay Packers. That victory gave Green Bay four, and made them one of three franchises to hold Super Bowl championships with three different starting quarterbacks, and, I believe, one of three franchises to do so with three different head coaches.
Up until last season, the Steelers and Patriots were tied for the most Super Bowl appearances by a franchise in NFL history with eight, but New England has now been to nine, winning five of them, and they could be headed to their 10th by the end of the day.
