Significant upgrades across the board for the Pittsburgh Steelers thanks to a busy offseason from GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl have things looking quite positive for the Black and Gold entering the 2024 season.
Upgrades under center at quarterback, along the offensive line, and at key spots defensively have the Steelers’ roster looking as strong as it has in years.
Unfortunately, it comes at a time when the AFC is incredibly loaded, and the AFC North looking once again like the best division in football, one that will be a gauntlet to get through.
While there are plenty of analysts buying into the Steelers entering the 2024 season due to the upgrades made to the roster, one analyst isn’t seeing much more than a 9-8 season.
That would be USA Today’s Nate Davis, who predicts a 9-8 season for the Steelers and believes “things could certainly get messy” for the team with all the new changes on the roster and the coaching staff, leading to some potential bumps in the road.
“Heading into his 18th season at the helm, we know HC Mike Tomlin won’t be associated with a losing ledger,” Davis writes regarding the Steelers. “But while these Steelers appear more formidable following the acquisitions of QBs Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, plus what might be this year’s most enviable class of rookies, things could certainly get messy as Arthur Smith installs a new offense for an organization attempting to get back to its hard-nosed roots – all while also trying to determine whether one of its new quarterbacks, with disparate skill sets and experience, is the answer for 2025 and beyond even though neither is signed for next season.
“And coming out of their Week 9 bye, the Steelers hit the road five times in a seven-week span. Pittsburgh hasn’t finished in last place since divisional realignment in 2002, but there’s a first time for everything – last year being the first in the Super Bowl era when an entire divisional membership (AFC North) finished above .500. Déjà vu?”
The Steelers, as is well known under head coach Mike Tomlin’s guidance, simply don’t do losing seasons. Projecting them to do such a thing is foolish at this point. He has 17 years and counting of proof.
The 2024 season should be more of the same for the Steelers under Tomlin, though the 9-8 prediction from Davis seems a bit low, especially considering the Steelers went 10-7 last season and made major upgrades to the roster.
In a quarterback-driven league, the Steelers are in a much better spot entering this season than they have been in the past, turning to Wilson and Fields compared to the likes of Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky. Having offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in the fold, too, is a huge boost.
As Davis points out though, things could be a bit messy, at least early on, as players star to mesh together and get more and more comfortable in the scheme in live action. But once those bumps in the road are worked through, the Steelers should be in good shape, especially on that side of the football.
The final stretch of games following the Week 9 bye will be very tough for the Steelers, not only due to opponents, but due to the condensed schedule with a bunch of short weeks in the mix late in the year. Ultimately, that could lead to struggles late in the season, which wouldn’t be all that much of a surprise.
But this is a team that projects to be much better than 9-8 overall.
Elsewhere in the AFC North, Davis predicts the Ravens and Browns to finish 10-7, while projecting the Bengals to win the division at 11-6. Davis has the Chiefs, Jets and Packers having the best records in football at 13-4, and has the Jets defeating the Packers in the Super Bowl in an Aaron Rodgers collision of worlds.
