Not too long ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were perennial Super Bowl contenders. However, like most teams, losing their franchise quarterback has left them in a transition period. Unlike most teams, though, the Steelers have still stayed relatively competitive. That hasn’t stopped people from picking against them in their first game this year, though. Analyst Bill Simmons of The Ringer is not one of those people.
On his podcast, Simmons explained how he believes the majority of the public views the Steelers.
“Pittsburgh is the ‘Nobody believes in us’ team,” Simmons said. “That’s clear. Nobody believes in Pittsburgh. People have shit on them for the last three weeks to the point that they were one of my favorite picks for them to make the playoffs, one of my favorite zags, and even I had real doubt.”
Simmons is correct that many media members are taking the Atlanta Falcons to beat the Steelers. This game is essentially a coin toss, especially with so many rivalries within this game. Arthur Smith probably wants to get a win over the team that just fired him, while Falcons head coach Raheem Morris more than likely wants to score a win over his close friend, Mike Tomlin.
The Falcons made a lot of improvements this year, though, so although they haven’t made the playoffs since 2017, they look like a great team on paper. If quarterback Kirk Cousins bounces back from his Achilles injury, then their offense could be dangerous. Several key additions on defense should keep them competent on that side of the ball.
Despite all of that, Simmons stated that he’s not picking against Pittsburgh.
“I like this spot for the Steelers. They get a lead, Russ [Wilson], no turnovers, maybe two deep shots to Pickens downfield. Other than that, just steer the car.”
Simmons’ reasoning is sound, but it seems like he recorded this episode of his podcast before Wilson’s calf injury became an issue again. That would probably impact his decision. It’s unclear if Wilson will be ready to go Sunday, but if he is, it will be curious to see if he’s at his best. Simmons seems to believe he just needs to be a game manager, though, so perhaps he could still accomplish that.
Wilson’s ability to keep the offense steady is likely why he won the starting job in the first place. If he is healthy enough to play, that probably won’t change. The Steelers’ game plan on offense was probably going to heavily feature the running game anyway, and if Wilson can do as Simmons says and just make one or two splash plays, that may be enough to secure the victory.
