Have you heard that the Pittsburgh Steelers have never finished below .500 under head coach Mike Tomlin? It might have been said a time or two on a broadcast or by the national media when they discuss Tomlin. Neat stat, though. But Sports Illustrated believes that the streak of non-losing seasons for Tomlin is going to end this season, as the outlet predicted under 8.5 for the Steelers in 2024.
“This might finally be the year that Mike Tomlin doesn’t end a season with a winning record, something he’s accomplished the past 17 seasons. The Steelers are hoping Russell Wilson reignites his career, though they do have Justin Fields as insurance. It won’t be easy for either to succeed with a thin group of pass catchers outside of George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth. The defense should once again be productive, but Pittsburgh tends to struggle if T.J. Watt isn’t on the field. Watt missed the 31–17 wild-card loss to the Bills,” Gilberto Manzano wrote, explaining why he picked the under for the Steelers.
First of all, T.J. Watt is healthy so I have zero idea why Manzano had to mention that the defense can struggle with him off the field. Most defenses aren’t as good with their best player off the field, and there’s no reason to believe that Watt is going to miss time this season. So, that’s just a weird thing to throw in the explanation.
But it is true that the Steelers could be held back by their weapons at receiver. It’s not a super impressive group. While the Steelers will run the ball a lot and Arthur Smith doesn’t use a ton of three-receiver sets, the Steelers could still stand to add at the position before training camp or the season starts. The other factor that could cause issues for the Steelers this season is their schedule, with their last eight games an absolute gauntlet with all six divisional games and matchups against the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
But the Steelers won ten games last season with a roster that wasn’t as talented, mediocre to bad quarterback play for most of the season, and Matt Canada at offensive coordinator for most of the season. The Steelers made upgrades across the board this season, improving the quarterback room, hiring Arthur Smith as their offensive coordinator, improving their offensive line, plus the addition of Patrick Queen. The schedule is harder, but the Steelers are also better.
Just given the fact that, for as bad as some of Tomlin’s losses can be, the Steelers are almost always competitive, at least in the regular season with him as their head coach, it’s hard to bet against the Steelers winning nine games. It might be a challenge, but with their improved roster, they really should be a playoff team this season, and it would go down as a major disappointment if they fail to make the playoffs, especially if they finish below .500.
