On Up and Adams this morning, host Kay Adams said that she believes the Steelers aren’t getting the respect they deserve. Adams thinks it’s disrespectful to put the Steelers behind the Browns when looking at the AFC North and that people should be talking about Kenny Pickett after his strong finish to last season and performance in Pittsburgh’s preseason opener.
“You should have questions, he’s unproven. But you have to talk about him when he’s good. Or we’re doing it wrong,” Adams said about Pickett.
She also took issue with Pittsburgh having the longest odds in the AFC North.
“Putting them behind Cleveland is a lack of respect for Mike Tomlin. A lack of respect for what this team accomplished last year,” Adams said. “It’s disrespectful to the organization and what they do year-in, year-out. The AFCs gonna be brutal, but I’m getting playoff vibes from these Steelers.”
The Steelers have never finished in last place in the current iteration of the AFC North and haven’t come in last place in their division since 1989. Meanwhile, the Browns have finished in last place 14 times since 2002. The respect Cleveland’s been getting is something that’s baffled me all off-season, and I’m glad Adams called it out.
How many times have the Browns looked like the shiny new toy with a bunch of flashy offseason additions only to crash and burn when the season actually gets underway? They’ve become the hip team to overrate in recent years, and while they have a decent roster, it’s not noticeably better than Pittsburgh’s.
Deshaun Watson wasn’t good last season, and it’s hard to really say he’s going to be much better until he shows it after spending almost two full seasons away from the football field. It really is disrespectful to the Steelers after finishing 7-2 last season to just assume they’re going to be the worst team in the AFC North.
Pickett finished last season strong, limiting turnovers and leading the team to back-to-back fourth-quarter comebacks. He got better each week, and that seems to have carried over with his progression this offseason and into the preseason.
Adding in Pittsburgh’s improved offensive line and progression across the board from a young offense, and Pickett does deserve to be talked about when he performs well. There’s going to be some growing pains this year given that he’s still a young quarterback, but I think he’s going to play well and cement his status as an above average to good starter in the league by the end of the year. The first drive against Tampa Bay on Friday night offered a lot of promise, with Pickett going 6-of-7 for 70 yards and a touchdown.
History tells us that the Steelers will compete at the top of the division, and with the talent on their roster, they should be a playoff team. Frankly, they should win a game in the postseason too, despite how brutal the conference is. It really doesn’t make any sense to me why a team that finished strong last season and got better this offseason in Pittsburgh is projected to be worse than a Cleveland team that, sure got a little better, but finished 7-10 and looked worse at times with Watson at quarterback than it did with Jacoby Brissett leading the charge.
You can make a case for Pittsburgh finishing ahead of the Ravens or the Bengals too, but their recent regular-season success and quarterback situation are good enough that I have no issue with them having better odds than the Steelers to win the division. But like Adams, I think the Steelers can make the playoffs, and I really don’t see them finishing below Cleveland in 2023.
