If things come together for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jerome Bettis thinks they can make a Super Bowl run. Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show Thursday, Bettis said he thinks the ingredients exist for Pittsburgh to contend.
“The one thing the Steelers have been missing was really, really high-level quarterback play,” Bettis told guest host Kirk Morrison. “And I think [Russell Wilson and Justin Fields] have the ability to provide that. So if you mix that in with a[n] outstanding defense, incredible pass rush, great running game, now you’ve got a championship-caliber football team. And I think the potential is a championship-caliber football team with high-level quarterback play.”
There’s little question that the Steelers upgraded their quarterback room after overhauling all three of their top slots. Russell Wilson was signed, Justin Fields traded for, and Kyle Allen added to round out the room. The debate is how much better the team got. For the Steelers to become true contenders, they’ll need Wilson and Fields to play better than 2023. Wilson’s baseline numbers were solid but he took too many sacks and didn’t play within the Denver Broncos’ structure enough. Fields was erratic with an unsustainable number of turnovers and mistakes.
Pittsburgh has the other elements to win. An offensive line growing and improving, two talented running backs, depth at tight end, and a standout No. 1 receiver on the outside, though another addition opposite George Pickens would be key. Defensively, the Steelers are always stout and better health in 2024 will go a long way.
While Bettis is optimistic, the team’s first step is to simply win a playoff game. In his Steelers career, he never went more than three-straight years without a playoff win. It’s been seven since the franchise notched its most recent one. They’ll have to overcome a gauntlet of AFC quarterbacks, emerging stars mixed with established studs. In the division sit Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. The rest of the conference boasts Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, C.J. Stroud, Justin Herbert, Aaron Rodgers, and other talents just a notch below. Wilson and Fields aren’t in those camps.
On paper, Pittsburgh isn’t currently a Super Bowl contender. But if they can win a playoff game and become one of the final eight remaining, anything’s possible. Just as it was for Jerome Bettis and a plucky sixth-seeded Steelers team in 2005 that went all the way to win one for the thumb.
