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 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: Would it make a difference if the Steelers win out and still miss the playoffs?
The Steelers are failing right now after dropping three straight games and finding themselves mired in controversy. It even got to the point where head coach Mike Tomlin held a secondary press conference in order to address comments made by WR George Pickens.
There’s no question that the on-field component is tied to the off-field component. But what would winning accomplish when considering what is perceived as deeper issues within the team? First of all, how much of that is manufactured from the outside with an incomplete set of information?
Let’s say the Steelers go 10-7. That’s pretty much where most people predicted they would finish. They could potentially make the postseason with that mark, but let’s say they don’t, or perhaps they are once again one-and-done in the first round.
Sitting where we are today and moving to the end of that timeline described above, what changes about how they move forward? Does it make a difference? Should it make a difference? Well, I suppose a 7-10 record ending the season on a six-game slide certainly looks much worse.
Steelers owner Art Rooney II, at least judging by his public comments, has an affection for a good ending. As long as the team finishes as season on an upward trajectory, he seems to be relatively content. Maybe he needs to see things bottom out to enforce significant change.
But what will these last three weeks tell us about who this team truly is? Most of their wins this year already have been unconvincing. Despite having a .500 record, the Steelers have an astonishingly bad minus-57 points differential. Most teams that are anywhere near that mark are at least four games below .500. Unless they qualify for the playoffs and win the Super Bowl, it’s hard to look at this season and determine that things are generally fine.
