Earlier this week, Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin talked about the landscape of the AFC North and stressed that they must have a good football team to compete in the division. He cited the premier QB play in the division, stating that he doesn’t want to expect QB Kenny Picket to duel and beat the likes of Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson, and Joe Burrow.
Seeing as Pickett is heading into his second season in the league and Pittsburgh hasn’t made much of a playoff push in the last couple of seasons, maybe fans and football analysts alike are writing off Pittsburgh as the likely fourth-best team in the division, expecting them to finish last in the AFC North.
However, Scott Ferrall on Ferrall Coast to Coast on SportsGridRadio spoke about the Steelers and their chances in the AFC North in 2023, being a bigger supporter of the Black and gold than many others in the media.
“I’m getting sick and tired of hearing that they’re going to finish last place in this division,” Ferrall said. “They’ve never finished in last place, ok? So, know that. You gotta put the stinky Browns in last place, and in fact, I already told you I like the Steelers over the Ravens, too. The one I got a problem with is Joey “Silk” [Burrow]. They’re not better than the Bengals.”
Tomlin has a way of having Pittsburgh rise to the occasion when the rest of the league is counting them out. He did so last season, captaining the ship of a team that started 2-6 by the bye week to go 7-2 down the stretch and finish win a winning record and a near Wildcard playoff berth. He kept Pittsburgh afloat in 2019 when Ben Roethlisberger went down with an elbow injury that cost him the season, keeping the team from tanking as Pittsburgh battled to stay relevant.
This Steelers team is better than both of those teams and is likely the best team the Steelers have had in some time if you look at the supporting cast around the QB. Kenny Pickett must deliver and take a notable step forward in his second season, but Pittsburgh has the team and the coach to win close games against their division rivals. They split with the Bengals, Ravens, and Browns last season, beating Baltimore and Cleveland in the final two weeks of the season to stay above .500. While their rosters look good as well, the Browns traditionally have underwhelmed relative to expectations While the Ravens have their own questions regarding player health and how Jackson returns from and injury-plagued season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should be a fringe playoff team in 2023, and likely claim a Wildcard spot with the chance to snap their playoff win drought. Should they do this, it’s pretty likely that they won’t be finishing last in the division.
“I could still see then tying for second, maybe, at worst,” Ferrall said about Pittsburgh. “I think they’re going to be in it.”
