The last time the Pittsburgh Steelers finished last in their division was 1988. That year, Pittsburgh went 5-11 under Hall of Fame head coach Chuck Noll and finished fourth in the AFC Central.
Since then, the Steelers have never finished in the basement.
Yet, for Yahoo! Sports’ Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab, the biggest question for the Steelers entering the 2024 season is can they stay out of the AFC North basement?
No, seriously. That was the question for Fitz and Schwab. And somehow, Fitz tied it to…playing Madden?
“Steelers fans have been just killing me on Twitter for saying this, but if I had one big question, it is can the Steelers stay out of the basement? Right now, to me, it’s all can [Mike] Tomlin have the winning season? If you just look at the roster as a whole, I think the Ravens are a better roster with a much better quarterback,” Fitz said regarding the Steelers’ biggest question entering the season. “We all know that the Browns, as you know, I’ve been very high on the Browns. I continue to be high on the Browns. I think the Browns are a better roster. And even Deshaun Watson, better quarterback than the Steelers have in their room. The Bengals, by far, have a better quarterback.
“You’re right, they have some questions on defense, but I think they have a far more talented offense, particularly. I think the Bengals are a better team.”
On paper, it is certainly fair to say that the three other teams in the division have better rosters, especially the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals at quarterback. But better talent on paper only goes so far once the season starts.
The Steelers haven’t had the best roster every year in the division, and yet they still continue to find ways to win, especially against the AFC North. Historically, the Steelers dominate the AFC North. They are 90-41-1 against the AFC North since it was formed in 2002 following realignment when the NFL expanded to 32 teams.
So, not once in the 21 seasons from 2002 to 2023 have the Steelers finished last in the division. Not once!
The mark extends all the way back to 1988, as written earlier, when the Steelers were in the AFC Central.
So now, after the busiest offseason in franchise history that saw the Steelers make significant upgrades to the roster in free agency and trade and then nail the NFL draft again, they’re all of a sudden going to finish last?
“If we were playing on Madden, the least appealing team to me in their own division is the Pittsburgh Steelers. So like, in my mind, we just sit here every year and we say, ‘Well, Tomlin has a winning season.’ We all know that,” Fitz said. “Okay, in this division, look, today looks like the toughest division in all the NFL. Can the Steelers not be in last place? I don’t see how, and, and part of it is that I don’t believe in Russ [WIlson] and I don’t believe in Justin Fields coming in midway through the season and suddenly fixing this.”
If we’re really going to base our analysis off a video game and who is “more appealing” to play for, then we shouldn’t even be having the conversation. Who cares what the roster looks like in a video game?
They don’t count video game outcomes in the real world.
Each and every year recently, the Steelers have been counted out, viewed as the worst team in the division by the national media. Then miraculously there they are at the end of the season, either winning the division or sitting in second place.
They haven’t been in the basement since 1988, and they aren’t going to start now, especially after an offseason where they made significant improvements to the roster and the coaching staff.
