Colin Cowherd believes the Pittsburgh Steelers will be on their couch when the Wild Card round kicks off in January. At least, that’s what he thinks today. Despite spending the offseason praising and bashing the team, he has the Steelers missing out on the playoffs in his pre-camp predictions.
Instead, he has the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals finishing in first and second, respectively, calling the AFC North the “best division in football.” The Steelers finish third, only ahead of the Cleveland Browns.
“Steelers, they can’t figure out their o-line or their offensive coordinator,” Cowherd said. “I love their roster, frankly. I worry in an offensive league about getting it right on that side of the ball.”
In May, Cowherd said the team was on the “short list” of the best rosters in football and expected them to win 11 or 12 games. Today, it’s a different story.
The good news, other than Cowherd’s opinion not meaning anything, is that the Steelers have upgraded both of his concern areas. Pittsburgh used the draft to heavily invest in the offensive line, selecting OT Troy Fautanu and C Zach Frazier in the top two rounds. At least one, if not both, will start Week 1. And Arthur Smith is an obvious improvement over Matt Canada, one of the worst NFL coordinators of the century. Smith and the offense still have plenty to prove but Pittsburgh has the best vision and talent since 2018.
While it’s easy to bristle at Cowherd’s commentary, the AFC North is no joke. Baltimore is the reigning champ, and while the Ravens suffered offseason losses, they have kept their core intact. Their defense is always stout, coaching always sound, and so long as Lamar Jackson stays healthy, they’ll be a threat. The Cincinnati Bengals return Joe Burrow. His presence alone could get them to double-digit wins considering they won nine games despite Burrow’s slow start and missing the back half of the year due to a torn wrist ligament.
Challenging as the division is, the Steelers’ calling card is winning close games and winning against divisional opponents. They went 5-1 in-division last year, the only AFC team to do so. The last time Pittsburgh posted a losing record against the division came in 2009, Mike Tomlin’s third NFL season. The Steelers are looking to break another drought, last winning a playoff game in 2016.
Cowherd’s three Wild Card teams are the Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Bengals.
