With the Super Bowl tomorrow and the Steelers spectators yet again, I thought now would be a good time to ask…How close are they to competing for another one? The Steelers earned their last Super Bowl title in 2008. They have not been back to the game since 2010.
The closest they’ve come was in 2016 when they reached the AFC Championship Game. The New England Patriots quickly dispelled any illusions of a competitive game, and the Steelers haven’t been anywhere near a championship since.
In fact, as you may have heard, they haven’t won a playoff game in seven years and have lost their last five postseason contests. They did reach the playoffs in 2023, but they lost to the Buffalo Bills, 31-17, in the Wild Card Round. The Steelers are back where they started, it seems.
Once again, the question hanging over the team is the quarterback position. The Steelers are asking themselves if Kenny Pickett can still be the guy. The majority of the vocal fan base is telling them he’s not, but their votes don’t count.
The Steelers still need to replenish their defensive line. Another starting cornerback to pair with Joey Porter Jr. is another urgent priority. The future of the wide receiver position is uncertain. The list could go on.
Every team has its weaknesses, but the better teams have the quarterback to make up the difference. The Steelers have not had that type of quarterback in recent years. New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has the task of getting what they can out of Pickett before turning over new stones.
The San Francisco 49ers are now in their eighth Super Bowl, tied with the Steelers for the second-most appearances. Only the New England Patriots have more. They can tie the Steelers and Patriots for the most Super Bowl titles with a win on Sunday.
This is all tougher to take without feeling as though Pittsburgh has a reasonable shot of adding to its Super Bowl total in the near future. Except for the most optimistic fans, I’m not sure anyone feels that way.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Kenny Pickett the guy? Will he get another season’s reprieve without a serious challenge? How will the team address the depth chart? Do they re-sign Mason Rudolph, one of the few significant unrestricted free agents?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
