The Steelers are now back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, facing down a long regular season that looks a lot more promising given how things have gone leading up to it. Finishing just above .500 last year, they anticipate being able to compete with any team in the league this season, with second-year QB Kenny Pickett leading the way.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year. The results have been positive so far.
Even well into the regular season and beyond, there are going to be plenty of questions that need to be answered. When will the core rookies get to play, or even start? Is the depth sufficient where they upgraded? Can they stand toe-to-toe with the Bengals and the other top teams in the league? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: Will the Steelers show up against the Colts with their backs to the wall?
It’s been a long time this Steelers team has had to stew in its own misery. They lost twice last week, to really bad teams, and they’ve had to sit on their hands for nearly a week and a half without an opportunity to answer for themselves on the field.
Two home games to two-win teams in December, one of whom was playing a backup quarterback, opportunities to stack wins squandered, and hopes of high playoff seeding dashed. They are now three games behind the Baltimore Ravens for the top seed in the AFC North—with four games to play.
But they remain right in the heart of the Wildcard race at 7-6, a record they share with five other teams. One of them is the Indianapolis Colts, whom they play on the road this evening. The question is, can they avoid coming out flat after their miserable outing a week ago?
If this locker room wants to avoid being portrayed as a loser that has punched above its weight to get as far as it has, then now is the time to make the necessary statement. Come out swinging and actually take it to a team for a change—finish them off.
Losers of three of their last four, the Steelers are teetering on the brink of losing their season. It doesn’t help that they don’t have their starting quarterback, Kenny Pickett, out with an ankle injury, but then again, the Colts don’t have their starter, either.
Player to player, this Steelers roster is just as good as the Colts. There really is no excuse for them to lose this game. Yet they’ve been finding ways to underperform below the level that would be expected for their talent. It would be nice for them to finally show what they can do.
