There’s been a groundswell of support for the Pittsburgh Steelers as of late from the national media. Whether it’s from people who attended (or talked to people who attended) training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., or people who tuned in to see QB Kenny Pickett lead the offense to three touchdowns on three drives through two preseason games, the support has come.
On Tuesday’s episode of The Herd, host Colin Cowherd addressed his view of teams that are not good enough to win the Super Bowl this season, and the Steelers came up. Co-host Jason McIntyre point-blank asked Cowherd whether Pickett could lead the team to another Lombardi Trophy in 2023.
“No,” Cowherd said. “And go through [Joe] Burrow and [Josh Allen] and Lamar [Jackson] and [Patrick] Mahomes and Russell [Wilson] and [Sean] Payton? … I’m putting him in the category of ‘could win a playoff game.’ He’s not going to Arrowhead and then Cincinnati and Buffalo and Baltimore.”
While some might point fingers and yell online at Cowherd for stating the Steelers will not win the Super Bowl this season with Pickett, it’s not all that likely. McIntyre brings up Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl odds at +6000, showing just how much oddsmakers view the team as a longshot. It’s with good reason, too.
If we can step back for a moment to view this through a clear head, we can arrive at the same conclusion that it would be a giant surprise. The Steelers did not make the playoffs in 2022. The team did win seven of its last nine games, but the offense was far from dominant. While we can see how Pickett has progressed from last season to now, with one game left in the preseason, he does need to show that he can play at the level he’s shown consistently.
How will Pickett perform once defenses are scheming? That will tell us a lot about Pittsburgh’s playoff chances (and thereby championship chances.) He has made smart plays consistently throughout camp and through three drives in the preseason. He needs to carry that over through 17 regular-season games and into the postseason.
Thankfully for him and Steelers fans everywhere, there’s talent on the offensive side of the ball, and the defense has elite playmakers on the defensive line with Cam Heyward, rushing the passer with T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, and arguably the best safety in the league in Minkah Fitzpatrick. An elite defense can help keep opponents in check, which means potentially less pressure on Pickett and the offense to put up big numbers game in and game out.
Pittsburgh has one final preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night before the final score well and truly matters. What happens starting in Week One against the San Francisco 49ers and continuing through Week 18 against the Ravens is what’s going to determine whether Pickett can merely win a playoff game, as Cowherd says.
Or whether there’s a good chance that Pittsburgh adds another Lombardi to the trophy case.
