The Pittsburgh Steelers have been an anomaly in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. Despite bottom-tier quarterback play, despite playing in the toughest division in the NFL, despite inexcusably poor play calling, they’ve finished each of the last two seasons with winning records, including a 10-win season and a playoff berth last year with three different starting quarterbacks. Mike Tomlin continues to make the most out of shaky situations.
Heading into the 2024 season, the question is whether the Steelers are in that same position, or if Russell Wilson or Justin Fields can turn the Steelers into a true threat. Ian Rapoport, an NFL Network insider, joined Brian Batko on the Post-Gazette’s Chipped Ham and Football podcast this morning, where he labeled the Steelers as a “curiosity” in the post-Big Ben era.
“I would say it’s fair to say in the post Ben era, every year it’s been like, they got some pieces, but what can they turn that into? Until you have the Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson…then every year it’s kind of like that,” Rapoport said. “And I think one thing the Steelers have taught us is that basically every year, they’re going to be .500 or better, and they’re going to threaten to make the playoffs, whether they get in, we don’t know. Will they win a game or two? We don’t know, but they’re always going to be in position.”
Tomlin’s accomplishment of 17-straight seasons without a losing record is incredible. He’s done it in different ways, miraculously putting the Steelers in playoff contention year in and year out, with or without Roethlisberger. But the Steelers haven’t had a quarterback who can take them to the next level. The leaguewide media expects them to dance around .500 in the regular season and make a late playoff push, only to barely miss the playoffs or lose handily in the Wild Card Round.
The Steelers aren’t being picked as a dark horse Super Bowl contender, while the Bengals and the Ravens are a popular pick to dethrone the Chiefs. With Roethlisberger, a Super Bowl felt like a realistic possibility going into every season. He won big games, consistently finished as a top-10 quarterback statistically, and it was disappointing if a season ended without a playoff win with Big Ben at the helm. The Joe Burrow-led Bengals and Lamar Jackson-led Ravens fall into the same category. But since Roethlisberger retired, it’s been the opposite for the Steelers, where making the playoffs itself has seemed like a substantial feat, and winning a game would take a miracle.
Rapoport said that the situation appears to be the same going into this season. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields should be able to maintain the Steelers’ reputation as a team that wins more games than it should, but can they turn winning into an expectation?
“How far does the quarterback take them and who does it end up being? That’s probably going to be the biggest thing, not just in training camp, but really the entire season,” said Rapoport.
Rapoport labeled the Steelers as a curiosity, but it might make more sense to consider them one of the most predictable teams until they prove otherwise. The safest bet in football over the last few years is to pick the Steelers to finish just above .500 and at least third place in their division.
It’s also been safe to say they won’t win in the playoffs. Russell Wilson, or Justin Fields, have the opportunity to break the stigma surrounding the Steelers, leading them to a playoff win and earning them consideration as an AFC contender to compete with the Chiefs.
It’s time for wins in January to become the new norm, and it starts in training camp on Thursday. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields begin to battle it out, and Steelers fans and media-members watch to see if this year really will be different.
