We love a classic Cinderella story, right?
That’s what the Pittsburgh Steelers were hoping to be heading into the 2023 season, having finished 2022 in third place in the AFC North, being on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture.
Since then, Pittsburgh has drastically improved its roster during the offseason and has demonstrated improvement on the field during preseason play, particularly on the offensive side of the football. This has led many to pick Pittsburgh to be their sleeper team in the AFC, one that could challenge the heavyweights in the conference like Kansas City, Buffalo, and Cincinnati.
The cast members of Get Up, which aired on ESPN, made their picks for the winner of the AFC North Tuesday. Show host Mike Greenberg was the only one to pick the Steelers, calling them a team with a strong argument to ascend to the top of the AFC North this season.
“Every year, things happen that no one saw coming,” Greenberg said on Get Up, which aired on ESPN’s YouTube Channel. “If the Bengals win this division, of course, that’s the obvious pick. Everyone sees it. They’ve been so good for so long. Far crazier things have happened in my mind in my opinion than the Steelers with a healthy T.J. Watt, a vastly improved Kenny Pickett, with a receiver in George Pickens, who might be ready to become one of the true stars in the NFL. Far crazier things have happened than the Steelers being the team no one saw coming.”
The Bengals should be viewed as the favorite to take the division again as they are defending back-to-back AFC North Champions, but the Steelers appear to be a tougher out than they have been the last few years. Greenberg pointed to the fact that Watt is entering the season fully healthy, having won Defensive Player of the Year the last time he played 15 games in 2021. Pickett has looked terrific in preseason action, showing more zip and better ball placement on his passes down the field as well as better chemistry with his weapons in the passing game. One of those weapons, Pickens, has been a highlight-reel machine all summer, looking ready to make a sophomore jump himself this season.
As Greenberg said, far crazier things have happened regarding a team’s turnaround from one season to the next. The Jacksonville Jaguars held the No. 1 overall pick in consecutive drafts the last two seasons, finishing with a 3-14 record in 2021. They put together a successful season under HC Doug Pederson in 2022, going 9-8 and making the playoffs while winning the AFC South and a playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Bengals were one of the worst teams in the league when they drafted QB Joe Burrow first overall in 2020 and went 4-11-1 that season as Burrow got injured. They drafted WR Ja’Marr Chase fifth overall in 2021 and went 10-7 the next season, making it all the way to the Super Bowl.
This isn’t to say that the Steelers are making a Super Bowl appearance in 2023, but rather that the Jaguars and Bengals were in worse situations before a big turnaround the following season. Pittsburgh finished 9-8 last season and added notable talent on both sides of the football as well as having its young quarterback poised to come into his own in his second season. Could Pittsburgh have a similar outlook as Jacksonville and Cincinnati did when they “shocked the world”? Who knows, but it’s in the realm of possibility, something that Greenberg thinks could happen for Pittsburgh as soon as this season.
