All offseason the Pittsburgh Steelers have been hyped up as a “sleeper team” in the loaded AFC by talking heads, both nationally and locally.
The offense is poised to take a leap this season in the second year under quarterback Kenny Pickett, a rebuilt offensive line should help lead to a good rushing attack once again, and a defense that is healthy has great depth top to bottom.
It’s one thing to hype up the Steelers all offseason as a trendy discussion point. It’s another thing to put them in the playoffs in the loaded AFC.
Good Morning Football hosts Jamie Erdahl, Kyle Brandt, Peter Schrager and Jason McCourty put their money where their mouths are on Tuesday. All four picked the Steelers as a playoff team in 2023, with all four putting them in the AFC playoffs as a Wild-Card team.
Erdahl has the Steelers as a Wild-Card team, along with the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets. Erdahl also has the Cincinnati Bengals winning the AFC North, the Kansas City Chiefs winning the AFC West, the Jacksonville Jaguars winning the AFC South and the Buffalo Bills winning the AFC East.
Brandt, who has been on the Steelers since the jump this offseason, did exactly what he said he was going to do a few weeks ago: put the Steelers in the playoffs as a Wild Card.
“The Steelers are getting into the playoffs. The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to the playoffs … they will be there. Pickett, [George] Pickens, et al under Mike Tomlin makes the playoffs again,” Brandt said while revealing his AFC playoff predictions.
Brandt has the Ravens, Chiefs, Bills and Jaguars winning their respective divisions with the Bengals and Jets the other two Wild-Card teams with the Steelers.
Schrager and McCourty also picked the Steelers as an AFC Wild-Card team. McCourty has the Steelers in the playoffs along with the Bengals and Bills as the Wild Cards, as well as the Ravens, Jets, Jaguars and Chiefs winning their respective divisions.
Schrager has the Steelers as a Wild-Card team with the Bills and Denver Broncos and has the Bengals, Chiefs, Jets and Jaguars winning their respective divisions in the loaded AFC.
“I think the Steelers were one of the best teams in football at the end of last season. Kenny Pickett’s going to take a giant leap, and that defense with T.J. Watt healthy, can stop anybody. The Steelers are going to the playoffs,” Schrager said.
There you have it: a unanimous panel from Good Morning Football picking the Steelers to be a playoff team in 2023.
After all the talk this offseason about Kenny Pickett, George Pickens, T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick and more, it’s not at all a surprise that talking heads are getting on the Steelers’ bandwagon, picking them to make the playoffs in a tough AFC picture.
