“We will unleash hell in December.”
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spoke those words on November 29, 2009, in an effort to try and spark his team — losers of three straight to that point.
While those words ultimately backfired on him as the Steelers ended up losing five straight and finished 9-7 in 2009, historically the Steelers are great in December and January, when the games get tighter and the stakes larger.
Entering the 2023 season, the franchise is very clearly aiming for a playoff spot, and at least according to the players inside the locker room, Tomlin has championship aspirations this season. If Tomlin truly believes the Steelers can win a championship — or at least compete for one – in 2023, they’ll have to start fast and avoid the usual slow September start.
The Steelers have historically struggled early in the season in the 16 years Tomlin has coached the Black and Gold. Dating back to the 2007 season when Tomlin took over for Bill Cowher, the Steelers are just 28-25-1 in September, tied for 11th-best in the NFL over that span. In every other month, their record ranks fourth-best or better, including 42-19 in October (fourth), 40-22-1 in November (third), 44-26 in December (tied for third) and 9-1 in January (first), according to numbers compiled by The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly.
Over the last two seasons, Pittsburgh has gotten off to a quick start, beating the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime in Week 1 last season while also beating the Buffalo Bills on the road in Week 1 of the 2021 season.
After those two season-opening wins though, the Steelers proceeded to lose a combined seven straight, taking the wind out of the sails early, forcing the team to rebound quickly.
This year, for Pittsburgh to truly take that next step forward towards contention and really put themselves in the conversation of legitimate Super Bowl contenders, September is a key month.
As Tomlin has said in the past, there is no time to “warm up to it” in the NFL, as all teams are professional and aiming to win right away. The preseason is the time to really get their legs underneath them, work out some kinks and really get ready.
Granted, three games compared to four in the past, along with less padded practices and the amount of days in training camp allowed with contact certainly hinders teams being prepared for fast starts, but the good teams find ways to win even while they’re learning who they are.
Pittsburgh has to do the same this season.
Opening up at home against the San Francisco 49ers — the first home opener in Week 1 in nearly a decade — is a huge opportunity for Pittsburgh. San Francisco is making the cross-country trip for an early kickoff and seems likely to have Brock Purdy under center. Purdy is coming off of elbow surgery and might not be himself right away. In front of a packed house and likely a rowdy, energetic crowd, Pittsburgh has to take advantage.
Same thing in Week 2 against AFC North foe Cleveland, this time on Monday Night Football. No excuses to not get up for that game and get going within the division in a year that should be tightly contested in the rugged AFC North.
After that, the Steelers will make the trip west to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders for the first time in Sin City. Historically, Pittsburgh has struggled mightily making the trip west to take on the Raiders. That can’t be the case this season, not with the Steelers aiming to get out of the gates fast after an offseason in which the franchise plugged some major holes and has a roster that looks rather strong top to bottom.
As Tomlin always says, there’s no time to warm up to it, and that is especially true this season. Even with the schedule seemingly being easier than years past, the Steelers have to avoid their usual slow September start, get out of the blocks fast and stack wins. Doing so for the first time since 2020 (3-0 on the way to an 11-0 start) could set the Steelers up for serious contention in the AFC playoff picture.
