With minicamp over now, NFL fans are in the depths of the offseason, with little movement usually occurring between now and training camp. However, that won’t stop many analysts from finding talking points to discuss, and with most team’s rosters set, the topic of conversation will turn to how each team will do this year. Most Pittsburgh Steelers fans are sick of hearing about Mike Tomlin never having a losing season, but that record could be in jeopardy this year with their brutal second-half schedule. However, one analyst believes this still won’t stop Tomlin from willing his team over .500.
Adam Rank is an analyst for NFL Network, and in a recent segment on the NFL YouTube channel, he broke down how he believes each team will fair this season. For the Steelers, he has them finishing the season at 9-8, but that only comes after the Steelers shockingly upset the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas and then beat the Cincinnati Bengals to end their year. Considering how dominant the Chiefs have been, that would certainly come as a shock, even to the most faithful Steelers fan.
However, maybe it isn’t totally out of the realm of possibilities. That game comes near the end of the season, so either team could be suffering from any number of injuries. If the Chiefs end up losing Patrick Mahomes, or if their defense gets severely banged up, the Steelers could have a real chance against the defending champs. After all, the Chiefs surprisingly lost to the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas last year, and it’s fair to say that this year’s Steelers squad is more talented than that Raiders team.
Rank also has the Steelers going 3-0 to start the season, winning both of the “revenge games” to begin the season and defeating Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers in the home opener at Acrisure Stadium. Unfortunately, it’s a combination of back-to-back losses that leave the Steelers with a sub-par record, losing consecutive games against the Raiders and New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Bengals, and the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens. Rank also sees the Steelers dropping the games against the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders.
Nothing is for certain in the NFL, so that could be the way the Steelers’ season falls, but games against the likes of the Raiders and Commanders should be more winnable for them than some of their other matchups. Playing against a worse team has never stopped the Steelers from losing before though, as seen just last year against the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots. Losing games like those would make that back half of the season much more difficult.
If the Steelers do end up beating the Chiefs and Bengals to finish the season over .500 once again, they better also make the playoffs, or fans may finally snap. Taking down two of the AFC’s best to finish the season and missing the playoffs would be a travesty. It would also leave the Steelers in purgatory after the season once again, not being terrible, but also not living up to the standard. Truly, Rank’s scenario here may be one of the worst for Steelers fans, so hopefully a season like that could also come with a playoff berth.
