There has certainly been a lot of positive buzz surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers lately, especially after how the first-team offense performed with QB Kenny Pickett. A number of analysts and talking heads have picked the Steelers as a playoff team with some even going further, like Nick Wright predicting Pittsburgh to win the AFC North.
Now you can add Bill Simmons to the list. The legendary sports writer addressed the Steelers on The Bill Simmons Podcast with Cousin Sal Friday and had nothing but positive things to say. However, he took it a step further to offer a prediction about the Week One matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
“I think Pittsburgh is going to beat San Francisco…” Simmons said. “And I like San Francisco. I just think Pittsburgh is going to show up to that game, lay the smackdown, and we’re off. I believe in the Steelers.”
Predicting a Week One win at home is one thing. Predicting a smackdown of the 2022 NFC West champions who made it to the NFC Championship? One might think that’s a bit bold. However, besides it being a home game for the Steelers, there are a couple of factors going Pittsburgh’s way.
49ers QB Brock Purdy suffered a bad elbow injury in that NFC title game and struggled at points during training camp. He has played in preseason but has been on a practice pitch count. Per the team, it’s part of Purdy’s rehab of the injury, but it still has some concerned.
The other big issue facing San Francisco is the status of star pass rusher Nick Bosa. Week One should be a matchup featuring two of the best pass rushers in the league with T.J. Watt lining up for the Steelers, but Bosa is still holding out as of the writing of this article. That can make a big difference in terms of how successful San Francisco’s defense will be against Pickett and company, especially considering the defense was arguably the best in the NFL in 2022.
Whether those issues plague the 49ers or not, Simmons feels pretty good about Pittsburgh. He didn’t just offer his overall feelings on the team plus the Week One matchup. He also dropped a little nugget on the running back situation as well, becoming the latest in a line of people bullish on Jaylen Warren’s prospects in his second year.
“Jaylen Warren, he’s probably going to take Najee Harris’s job at some point.”
That has certainly been a major topic of discussion. Harris’s lack of gaudy numbers expected of a first-round pick is documented. Warren showed big-play ability in his limited role in 2022 and exploded in the preseason with two touchdowns, one showcasing his ability to run away from defenders and the other showing off his leg strength that allows him to power through tacklers.
However, as Pickett put it on the Steel Here podcast with Kevin Adams and Jersey Jerry Thursday, the Steelers need all three of their running backs, including Anthony McFarland, even if Warren is an incredible playmaker. Our own Alex Kozora thinks that spending time dissecting who the lead back is discussing “false choices” because both Harris and Warren are going to get a lot of playing time.
It’s still a fascinating topic, and it’s easy to see why people salivate over Warren getting a lot more touches than in 2022. Regardless of who gets more touches over the course of the season, Simmons is a big fan of Pittsburgh and fully expects them to dominate to open the season.
You can listen to the full episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast for his full thoughts on the Steelers as well as the AFC as a whole.
