It’s only been two weeks, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are undefeated, although certainly not perfect. They haven’t played stellar opponents, which makes some people question if they are as good as their record says they are. They’re at the top of the AFC North, and if the season ended today, they’d be in the playoffs. Former Steelers corner Bryant McFadden is ready to call the Steelers contenders and not pretenders.
“They’re a contender, and here’s why,” McFadden said recently on CBS Sports HQ. “They have the best defense in the AFC, clearly the best defense in the AFC North. That’s number one. Number two, offensively, they might not blow you away with their style of play, but the thing that I’m loving about this offense, they’re embracing their role until they find their spark.
“With that being said, they have yet to allow a turnover. They’re playing clean, smart football.”
McFadden’s main two points here are valid reasons for why the Steelers could be contenders. Their defense has only allowed one touchdown through two games, and they almost shut out the Denver Broncos in their own stadium. They’ll be challenged with better offenses throughout the year, but they have all the pieces to remain this elite.
Their offense hasn’t been great, but it has been safe. That might not sound like a compliment, but it is. They’ve relied on their running game to carry them while also letting Justin Fields make plays when he has to. They’re better than they’ve looked, too. Penalties kept them from having a better day in Week 2.
There’s still an argument to be made that they are pretenders because they haven’t played a great team yet, but they can’t control that. The Steelers can only play the team that’s in front of them. They’ve stuck to their brand of football, and it’s worked well. There’s also hope that their offense can improve as they continue playing together.
McFadden is probably a little biased because he won two Super Bowls with the Steelers, but his logic isn’t awful. Over the next few weeks, the Steelers will play against better competition, and we’ll see how they fare. Even if they aren’t contenders this year, they seem to be on the right track.
