Despite being 5-3 and 2-0 in the AFC North, you’d have to search far and wide to find someone who truly believes in the Pittsburgh Steelers. You certainly won’t find a believer in CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani, who ranked Pittsburgh 13th out of 14 teams who are currently in the playoff picture, notably behind both the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons.
Dajani credited head coach Mike Tomlin for the Steelers gutting out victories, although like most of us, he questioned how in the world the team is 5-3.
“It almost feels like this team shouldn’t be 5-3, but Mike Tomlin is one of the best in the game and then this defense is feisty with a capital F,” wrote Dajani. “Pittsburgh just finds a way to get it done. The Steelers have eight straight wins in one-score games and are the only team in the Super Bowl era to have a winning record through eight games despite being outgained in every contest. They have five comeback victories this season, and four of Kenny Pickett’s 13 career passing touchdowns are go-ahead scores in the final five minutes of regulation.”
The 2023 Steelers feel like a fever dream. The team’s defense is awful in the yards allowed department, ranking 30th in the NFL as they give up 377.3 yards per contest, yet are second in the league in takeaways with 16 as they average two per game. They bend and don’t break, and always come up with a timely turnover. Then you go to the offensive side of the football and the Steelers struggle all game until the fourth quarter and then both QB Kenny Pickett and the offense look great and Pittsburgh wins.
It’s a strategy that should not work, but it has for three years now. And for the past three years, the Steelers have fought for a playoff spot, even if they don’t always get one. But, in the past three years, the Steelers have never been serious Super Bowl contenders. Dajani acknowledged that even though it does not look pretty, Pittsburgh is going to fight.
“The Steelers aren’t some pushover, but they also don’t look like a legitimate Super Bowl contender,” wrote Dajani. “Need to score more points for that.”
Even with how bad some of the Steelers’ stats look, such as getting outgained every game this year, Pittsburgh is still a playoff contender. At 5-3 and with a schedule that is not super daunting ahead of them, it should not be too difficult for the team to at least snag a wild card spot.
Pittsburgh as a Super Bowl contender is a totally different story, though. While the Steelers’ defense may improve as the season goes along and they get healthy, their offense is still a huge question mark. Pittsburgh averages 16.6 points per game, good for 29th in the NFL. The Steelers’ defense is not a reincarnation of the 1976 defense which allowed only 9.85 points per game, so the offense has to score more.
There is still a lot of time left in the year for the offense to figure themselves out, even if it is unlikely. Maybe having offensive coordinator Matt Canada on the sidelines will make a big difference, maybe it won’t. Either way, as things stand right now, it is hard to disagree with Dajani that the Steelers are one of the least threatening teams in the playoff picture.
