Starting a season 2-0 might not seem like much, but it is something the Pittsburgh Steelers have only done eight times over the last 25 years. That spans the entire career of Ben Roethlisberger and several years with elite defenses. Teams that start 2-0 go on to make the playoffs about 63 percent of the time. That jumps up to nearly 75 percent if they make it to 3-0. That is something the Steelers have only done three times since the turn of the century.
Despite the good start, not everybody believes in this Steelers team. Some are leaning toward them being one of the 37 percent to start 2-0 and not make the playoffs.
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin released a list this morning that ranked all nine of the 2-0 teams from imposter to contender. The Steelers were ranked last, making them the biggest “potential imposters” in Benjamin’s eyes.
“Look, Mike Tomlin is decidedly not an imposter when it comes to keeping the Steelers scrappy and competitive. The defense is legit. And Justin Fields has controlled the ball, for now,” Benjamin wrote. “We still expect this team to hang around the wild-card picture, as it always does. But the rival Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, a combined 0-4, still register as more dangerous in the long run.”
In nearly every single preseason ranking of the AFC North from experts around the league, the Steelers were either in third or fourth place. With a few exceptions, it was usually some combination of the Bengals and the Ravens holding down the top two spots in the projections. It was hard to disagree with those rankings, mostly because of Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. They are two of the best quarterbacks in the league.
But I thought that each team had some pretty legitimate concerns for the 2024 season that could hold them back from reaching their maximum potential.
For the Ravens, they lost three starters along the offensive line. OT Morgan Moses, OG Kevin Zeitler, and OG John Simpson all left in free agency or were traded. Those three combined for 46 starts last season in Baltimore. Their system doesn’t work so well without a good offensive line, and that has been an issue through the first two weeks. Derrick Henry has 130 rushing yards on 31 attempts. Not terrible, but not what they were hoping for when they signed him.
The Ravens also lost several important coaches this offseason, which seems to be catching up with them a bit.
For the Bengals, they have virtually no running game. They are managing just 72 yards per game on the ground right now. That is what happens when you trade Joe Mixon, who had been a steady force at running back for them for years. They replaced him with Zack Moss, who is leading the team with 78 yards on 21 attempts.
The Los Angeles Chargers, who the Steelers play this Sunday, are also labeled in the “potential imposter” category on this list in the seventh spot. I guess the throwback teams that have good defenses and run-first offenses get no respect around here. One of them will have a chance to overcome that unfortunate label this weekend.
