With two strong preseason showings, there’s a national buzz surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers. Maybe it’ll fade, none of it will really matter come Week One, but people like NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks. Appearing on Total Access, Brooks sees the Steelers as a sleeper.
“They’re dark horse contender,” Brooks said. “Because last year when they didn’t have anything and they weren’t supposed to play well, Mike Tomlin taught this team how to win down the stretch.”
Pittsburgh transformed their season from being one of the worst teams in football, 2-6 at the bye and blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles in their last game before the off-week, to going 7-2 the rest of the way. They nearly made the playoffs, handling the Cleveland Browns in the Week 18 finale and only needed Joe Flacco’s New York Jets to knock off the Skylar Thompson “led” Miami Dolphins.
Still, as Brooks points out, this team grew up a lot last year. They won close and difficult games, coming back to beat the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Eve before following that up by defeating the Baltimore Ravens on the road. Pittsburgh stopped beating themselves, taking care of the football, and T.J. Watt’s defensive return changed that unit’s fortunes. Momentum from season-to-season doesn’t really exist but the lessons learned from taking their lumps certainly carries over.
“We’ve seen Kenny Pickett look great during the the preseason. We have seen George Pickens highlight reels daily on social media from what he’s been doing in practice. We look at that defense and know that this defense is ready to be stout and sturdy.”
Pickett and the starting offense has found the end zone on all three of their preseason possessions. They’ve done it through big plays outside the red zone. A 33-yarder to WR George Pickens, a 62-yard run by RB Jaylen Warren, a 25-yard one-play score to TE Pat Freiermuth. Defensively, they hounded Buffalo Bills’ QB Josh Allen over the weekend, shutting them out until the second half.
“Things are looking like it’s coming together in Pittsburgh. The toughness, the tenacity, and what they bring. Mike Tomlin has this team ready and this team is gonna be a dangerous team to face this year in the AFC.”
The AFC is loaded. Rolls Royce loaded. But Pittsburgh went 9-8 a year ago with a group who looked flat-out bad for the first half of the year. With a better identity and better talent, it’s reasonable to expect this team to win more games. The question is if they can win eleven. Because even if they win ten of them, there’s no guarantee that’s enough for a postseason bid.
