ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes was a guest on The Rich Eisen Show Friday, and Kimes talked up the Pittsburgh Steelers as a sleeper team in the AFC. Asked to pick one team not being talked about enough in each conference, Kimes went with the Steelers for a myriad of reasons, including the improvement she saw in QB Kenny Pickett.
“I’m really high on the Steelers,” Kimes said. “When I went back and watched some of [Pickett’s] starts during the offseason, I was really impressed by his playmaking,” she added, noting that his improved poise was evident during the preseason.
Kimes also said she thinks that Diontae Johnson and George Pickens could be looked at as one of the best receiver pairings in the entire NFL by the end of the season, while praising their pass rush, as well.
“They’re so deep, again. Guys like Nick Herbig who came out of nowhere this preseason looks unbelievable. The AFC North is a hellscape, to be blunt. I don’t even think they’re going to win it, but I think they’re going to be a team to be reckoned with in the AFC.”
The Steelers offense needs to emerge this season, after struggling for much of 2022. It’s offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s last shot, and it’s a young group led by Pickett. The preseason was incredibly promising, with the first-team offense scoring every time they were on the field, with Pickett throwing for two explosive play touchdowns.
The momentum from the preseason needs to continue into the regular season, especially with the San Francisco 49ers defense on tap for Week One. It’s a young offense that needs to show they’re past the struggles they had last season, and one that could determine just how good the Steelers are this season.
The Steelers should be able to win at least 10 games, but if the offense takes a major leap, they’re a unit that could jump up to 12 wins. The 10-12 win area is probably the best this team will do, but anything less than 10 would be a disappointment. The defense is good, and if guys like OLB T.J. Watt and DL Cameron Heyward stay healthy, they’ll be one of the best units in the league again. If the offense is just middling though, the Steelers are going to have a hard time staying relevant in a tough AFC.
But Kimes thinks Pickett and the offense is really going to step up, and if that’s the case they’ll certainty be a team to look out for. We’ll get a better sense of where the offense is truly at outside the preseason in just over a week, and Week One will be a really good barometer of what we might be able to expect out of Pickett and Co. this year.
Watch the full video below:
