The Pittsburgh Steelers are playing in one of the most anticipated Week One matchups against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, and the game was discussed on Get Up this morning. Dominique Foxworth, Mike Greenberg and Bart Scott all picked the Steelers to come up on top, and Scott offered further praise. Besides saying that Kenny Pickett will “100 percent” end up as a better quarterback than Brock Purdy, he thinks the Steelers are back to the team they were when they were consistent contenders throughout the 2000s and 2010s.
“This is the Pittsburgh Steelers of old. This is the Ben Roethlisberger type of personnel,” Scott said. “Nasty on defense, [talented] on offense with guys that can make you pay on the outside.”
There’s no doubt that the Steelers have the pieces in place to succeed in 2023. George Pickens and Diontae Johnson could form one of the best wide receiver duos in the league, and there are other offensive weapons for second-year QB Kenny Pickett in TE Pat Freiermuth and RBs Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris. The offense is going to be better than it was last year, but just how much better will determine how far this team can go in 2023.
The defense is stout again, and a healthy T.J. Watt is going to make the unit that much better. The Steelers should again compete for the league lead in sacks, while also pushing for the lead in interceptions, something they did last season. It’s going to be a unit that can help out the offense by forcing turnovers and giving it short fields to work with. That should ease the burden on Pickett as he looks to improve in his sophomore campaign.
The biggest improvement the Steelers made was along the offensive line, adding OG Isaac Seumalo in free agency and OT Broderick Jones in the draft. While Jones won’t start Week One, the depth that he and OG Nate Herbig add to the group is going to be important throughout the season. It’s the best offensive line the Steelers have had in a long time, something that should be a key to helping the offense improve.
Week One is a great test for the Steelers’ offense, going up against one of the best defenses in the league in the San Francisco 49ers. It’s a star-studded unit and one that has the potential to give the Steelers fits. But if they can pass this test and come away with a Week One win, they will have a lot of momentum going forward the rest of the season. If they truly look like a Roethlisberger-era team, at least from when he was in his prime, then the Steelers should make some noise and push to contend in the AFC.
