The Pittsburgh Steelers have become such a trendy team to call “underrated” that they aren’t really underrated anymore. After a good end to the 2022 season and a great offseason, Pittsburgh is poised to return to the playoffs. Many people, like Herm Edwards and Colin Cowherd, have predicted this, but Cowherd’s co-host, Jason McIntyre took his Steelers prediction a bit further.
Earlier this week on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, McIntyre gave his five bold NFL predictions. Perhaps none were bolder than his belief that the Steelers will make the AFC Championship Game.
“Kenny Pickett, during the final seven games [last season], was a top 11 quarterback in the league,” said McIntyre which was transcribed into an article on FoxSports.com. “That guy was a rookie. Kenny Pickett is mature. He looked sharp at the end of the season. The defense will be back and be really good. I’ve already bet them in Week 1. This Steelers team is a buy.”
While I’m high on the Steelers and quarterback Kenny Pickett going into the 2023 season, an AFC Championship Game appearance is a little far-fetched. Pickett did improve as the season went along but over his final eight games, he still only threw five touchdowns. Yes, he will likely improve those numbers this season, but by how much? Pittsburgh’s offense struggled to score throughout last season with offensive coordinator Matt Canada calling the plays, averaging a measly 18.1 points per game. How much can that improve this year in a super run-heavy offense?
The Steelers’ defense is great, but you can’t win playoff games averaging 20 points or less in the modern NFL when quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen are in your conference. Even with a very good defense, the Steelers’ offense has to take off for Pittsburgh to make it to the championship game. With Canada creating and calling the plays, that’s a risky bet.
I would love for the Steelers to make it to the AFC Championship Game this year and smash open their new Super Bowl window, but right now there are way too many question marks surrounding this team to make that claim. If they played in the weaker NFC, their path would be more plausible but the AFC is loaded. For Pittsburgh, their focus should be on winning a playoff game, something they haven’t done since 2016.
