FOX Sports analyst Joy Taylor isn’t predicting nor counting on the Pittsburgh Steelers making the Super Bowl this year. But the thought of them being one of the final two teams standing isn’t a crazy one. Appearing on FS1’s Speak Thursday, Taylor said the Steelers have the pieces to surprise the NFL world.
“If any team was able to do it with a roster and situation that we didn’t think was Super Bowl ready, it would be the Steelers,” Taylor told the show.
To do that, Pittsburgh will need to win its first playoff game since 2016, currently on a five-game postseason losing streak that’s among the longest in the NFL. It’s why the Steelers completely revamped their quarterback room, bringing in Russell Wilson and trading for Justin Fields. It’s why they made the biggest free agent splash in franchise history, inking LB Patrick Queen to a long-term deal. There’s a sense of urgency fueled by frustration of the team’s struggles to get over the hump.
The Steelers aren’t the AFC favorites. Heck, they aren’t even favorites to win their division, most picking either the Baltimore Ravens to repeat or the Cincinnati Bengals to rebound after losing QB Joe Burrow for their 2023 stretch run. But there are teams that surprise each year. Last year, it was the Houston Texans, aided by C.J. Stroud’s great rookie season. Pittsburgh isn’t exactly in that rags-to-riches spot, but it has a better roster than a year ago with an offense that looks competent and organized to win games without relying on its defense to do all the work.
Taylor made the point that even talking about the Super Bowl in Pittsburgh is an important point culturally.
“If you’ve been there, if you’ve seen high-level success in the league, I expect you to be talking about championships,” she said.
Wilson has a Super Bowl ring and nearly won another, giving him credibility that will likely make him the starter despite Justin Fields’ surging summer. And from the moment he signed, Wilson has made clear his mission to put another Lombardi in Pittsburgh’s trophy case.
Making a run is something the Steelers haven’t done since their 2016 AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots. It’s something T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and really Cam Heyward haven’t experienced in their careers, Heyward injured for the Steelers’ postseason stretch that year. After years of it being closed, Pittsburgh’s trying to re0pen that window.
