Expectations for the Pittsburgh Steelers are at a high level following the complete overhaul of their0 quarterback room that saw Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitch Trubisky leave town while Russell Wilson and Justin Fields took their place. The Steelers finished with a 10-7 record in the 2023 season and that was with subpar quarterback play and a number of key injuries on the defensive side of the ball. It is reasonable to expect the team to show some progression with the new-look offense and renewed star power at quarterback, but just how high is the ceiling?
A panel of analysts on FS1’s SPEAK engaged in a lengthy debate on just how high the expectations should be for the Steelers with Wilson at quarterback and whether or not they can compete for a deep playoff run in 2024.
“I don’t think the pressure’s too much for Russ,” LeSean McCoy said in a video of the segment posted on SPEAK‘s YouTube page. “We have a great defense, you know what to do with that. You’ve been there. Solid special teams. You’ve been there. You had that before. Go in there and just play ball. They got a good running game. You had that before. And everything he’s had before, he’s done well with. He’s doing the same thing in Pittsburgh.”
It isn’t a one-to-one comparison to the teams that Wilson had success with as a member of the Seattle Seahawks, but the two teams do have a similar composition. Great defenses loaded with star power, run-first offenses, and solid vertical threats at wide receiver.
The Steelers allowed the sixth-fewest points per game allowed in 2023 and that was while dealing with major injuries to Cameron Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and several others in the inside linebacker and safety rooms. They didn’t lose much on that side of the ball in free agency, and they added ILB Patrick Queen and S DeShon Elliott.
Wilson does not need to step in and be the hero. The Steelers found ways to be successful without good quarterback play. They just need him to step in and be efficient with a little more splash than the team was getting out of the position last season.
Emmanuel Acho holds a different opinion and thinks the pressure and the expectations might be setting Wilson up for failure.
“I think he’s being set up by us as analysts with the expectations,” Acho said. “Because the premise is that the Steelers are just a quarterback away. They’re not just a quarterback away…Russ is not the difference between the Steelers and a Super Bowl.”
For what it’s worth, Wilson is actually placing those expectations on himself. He has said on multiple occasions that winning more Super Bowls is part a five-year plan he has for himself. The AFC is loaded with more quarterback talent than ever. Until further notice, the AFC runs through Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
While teams are rarely just “a quarterback away” from competing for the Super Bowl, there are examples of this happening in the past. Joe Burrow elevated the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance in his second season. Matthew Stafford did a similar thing for the Los Angeles Rams.
Winning a Super Bowl is an elusive feat for any player in the NFL, but the Steelers themselves have proven that you don’t need to be the favorite entering the season to end up hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. Back in 2005, they entered the playoffs as the sixth seed and ended up winning it all.
“If you ever combine a quarterback-head coach and they are both Hall of Famers or fringe Hall of Famers, expectations should be to compete for [a Super Bowl], otherwise, why get Russ?” Acho said.
The goal for the Steelers entering every season is the same—win a Super Bowl. For the first time in several years, that goal is at least within the realm of possibility.
