There can be no question that QB Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting offense shined during their fairly brief stint in the 2023 NFL preseason. They took the field for five drives and scored a touchdown on all five with Pickett throwing touchdowns to WR George Pickens and TE Pat Freiermuth as well as making good decisions while spreading the ball out.
However, preseason isn’t always a great indicator of future success. That doesn’t bother CBS Sports Radio’s Andrew Perloff, though. On Friday’s edition of the Maggie and Perloff show, Perloff opened the show with a bang.
“I think when you are looking at who you’re going to pick for this year’s Super Bowl champion,” Perloff said, “you have to take a long, hard look at the Pittsburgh Steelers… You have Kenny Pickett looking incredibly mature. He looks like he has a gun.”
Co-host Maggie Gray was quick to dump some water on Perloff’s enthusiasm.
“You want to say playoffs, I’m going to give the Steelers all the respect that that franchise deserves…” Gray said. “But to say Super Bowl, I can’t get there.”
That dichotomy shown by Perloff and Gray seems to be where a number of media and analysts fall on the suddenly explosive Pittsburgh Steelers. Perloff, who some will recognize as ‘McLovin’ from the Dan Patrick Show, has come away impressed by how Pickett is playing, not just the numbers the offense has put up so far. That apparent growth, mixed with the amount of talent the Steelers have on defense could very well be a recipe for championship contention.
However, there are plenty of people like Gray. They look at the AFC as a whole with the Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, the Buffalo Bills, and other teams that have been in contention the last couple of years, and question whether Pickett’s preseason play will carry over enough to help lead the Steelers deep into the playoffs. As much as Pittsburgh fans hate to say it, in order for the Steelers to be contenders, Pickett has to continue to improve.
Whether you come down on Perloff’s side or Gray’s side of the Super Bowl-contention argument, it all hinges on two things: How does Pickett play this season, and does the defense stay healthy enough for the star players to make an impact game in and game out? If you’re all in on Pickett and the defense, then you’re squarely in Perloff’s camp. If you still have reservations about Pickett — namely wanting to see him perform like this multiple times in the regular season — then chances are you’re feeling good about the playoffs but view Super Bowl contention as something that’s not quite there yet.
Either way, you’re going to be glued to the television or other screen come Week One against the San Francisco 49ers to see how Pickett performs in his first big test of 2023.
