Former Pittsburgh Steelers CB and current All Things Covered podcast host Bryant McFadden made an appearance in Latrobe Wednesday to report on the Steelers training camp for CBS Sports. Being a former Steeler himself and having his cousin, CB Patrick Peterson on the team, it’s fair to say that McFadden may have some bias toward the Black and Gold compared to the other teams in the AFC North.
When asked about Pittsburgh having long odds to win the AFC North and not make the playoffs, McFadden defended his former team and guaranteed that Pittsburgh will make the postseason in 2023.
“I believe the Pittsburgh Steelers will have a better record than what they had in 2022 based on the experience, their young rookie quarterback game in his rookie campaign and with the added talent they’ve been able to add to this roster,” McFadden said on CBS Sports HQ.“I’m saying that because I know ball and I know the Pittsburgh Steelers will make the playoffs somehow, someway.”
While McFadden may be a homer, his logic is pretty sound. Pittsburgh managed to scrounge up a 9-8 record last season despite starting the year 2-6, winning seven of its final nine games after the bye week. They lost OLB T.J. Watt for half of the season due to a pec injury, had issues with the offensive line gelling to start the year, and endured a quarterback change in Week Four, throwing rookie QB Kenny Pickett to the wolves against Super Bowl-contending teams, including the Bills and Eagles, within his first few NFL starts.
Still, the Steelers managed to weather the storm and battle back to a respectable finish. Since, then, they have only improved their roster at nearly every position, loading up on experienced veterans and young, promising rookies in addition to the players already on the team. Pickett has demonstrated positive signs of growth from a season ago, naturally progressing from a rookie getting his feet wet for the first time to a more confident pro with game experience under his belt.
This Pittsburgh Steelers, as assembled, should finish better than last year’s team, which didn’t have the firepower on offense as well as the fortified offensive line the 2023 squad does. Should Pittsburgh manage 10 or 11 wins, there is a really good chance this team makes the playoffs. To conclude his thoughts, however, McFadden made a bold prediction when asked by show host Tommy Tran what he thinks this Steelers team is capable of in 2023.
“My bold prediction for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023 is the Pittsburgh Steelers will compete in the AFC Championship Game,” McFadden responded.
That definitely can be considered a “hot take” by McFadden as Pittsburgh would be elated to simply win a playoff game for the first time since 2016. Still, anything can happen in the NFL and if Pittsburgh gets in as a wild-card team, winning two games would get them in the dance with the chance to play for a Lombardi.
