It’s no secret that the AFC North, let alone the AFC, is loaded with a number of Super Bowl contenders.
That could make life tough for a team still going through a bit of a transition into a new era like the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Yet, for former Steelers standout safety and current ESPN Emmy-award winning analyst Ryan Clark, even in a tough conference and a difficult division, he believes that the Steelers will have a winning record and will have a shot at making the playoffs and competing for a Super Bowl trophy.
Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up Monday morning, Clark let his passion flow defending the Steelers in a conversation about their ability to make the playoffs against former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum.
“This is just how we like it in Pittsburgh. We want to fly under the radar and then hit you in the mouth when the games start! They’re going to be really good. The problem is, so is the entire division and then when you move on from the division, so is the whole God dang conference. And what happens is, the reason the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t being mentioned is because they probably do have the fourth-best quarterback in the division,” Clark said on Get Up, according to video via ESPN. “…I think that this team has a winning record this year. And if you have a winning record within the AFC North, you have an opportunity to be one of the three teams that can probably make the playoffs.
“Is it going to be easy? Hell no. Do I believe that the Pittsburgh Steelers and a coach that has never had a losing record, even with a rookie quarterback and starting some games with Mitchell Trubisky, having a chance to make the playoffs? Absolutely! …The Pittsburgh Steelers have a shot. We have hope.”
On paper, the Steelers look rather solid overall, especially after adding experienced pieces to the roster to help shore up holes that developed down the stretch in the 2022 season. Now, Pittsburgh has a solid offense on paper led by quarterback Kenny Pickett featuring a bell-cow running back in Harris, a strong offensive line led by interior linemen Isaac Seumalo, Mason Cole and James Daniels, and a deep group of pass catching weapons in Diontae Johnson, Pickens, Robinson and Pat Freiermuth.
But like Clark points out, while Pittsburgh should be really good this season, it comes at a time in which the AFC North is loaded top to bottom, and the AFC in general has some real powerhouses including the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and New York Jets, just to name a few.
Making the playoffs in the loaded AFC looks like a significant challenge for Pittsburgh. But with a solid roster overall featuring a young, developing offense and a star-studded defense playing under a head coach in Mike Tomlin who has never experienced a losing season and always finds a way to grind out wins, the Steelers — like Clark said passionately — have a shot. That’s all a team needs sometimes.
It will undoubtedly help, too, that the Steelers will get some relief when not playing AFC North football.
Pittsburgh gets a bit of a break in the schedule this season, playing the AFC South compared to the AFC East last season. The Steelers will get the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans as part of their non-division schedule. Only the Jaguars seem like a formidable opponent right now, at least on paper.
On paper, the schedule looks easier. However, that’s why they play the games, and the Steelers are going to have to play consistently, not play down to their competition, and start the season the way they ended 2022. That said, when the season kicks off, the schedule might end up looking a lot harder than it does currently.
