For the past few years, the Pittsburgh Steelers have usually just barely made it into the postseason. That’s been followed by them getting obliterated in the first round. The Steelers haven’t felt like a true threat recently, which is why analyst Chris Simms usually roots against them to make the playoffs. However, it seems like he’s changing his tune this year.
“I think I have [rooted against them] because I was like, ‘It’s gonna be so boring, we don’t want to see them lose the wild-card game in some ugly game,'” Simms said Monday on his podcast. “I think two years in a row. This year, I’m rooting for them. I actually think they can win games and make waves in the AFC playoff picture.”
It’s not like Simms was wrong about the Steelers in the playoffs over the last few years. They haven’t won a postseason game since 2016, and their last few attempts have been ugly. Last year, the Buffalo Bills pulverized them. In 2021, the Kansas City Chiefs sent them packing. Nobody wants to talk about their failure against the Cleveland Browns in 202o either.
The thread that wove those teams together was their lack of success on offense. Even during the last few seasons with Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers’ offense struggled. Their defense was elite, but it rarely got support from the other side of the ball.
This year, things are a little different. Since Russell Wilson took over as the starter, the offense has been cooking. His deep ball and veteran wisdom have taken the Steelers’ offense to a new level. It might not always be perfect, but with their defense still playing incredibly well, the offense doesn’t need to be.
The Steelers are in first place of the AFC North with a divisional showdown against the visiting Ravens Sunday. If the season ended right now, they’d be the third seed in the AFC playoffs, playing against the Los Angeles Chargers. That’s a team they’ve already beaten this year, and that was without Wilson. As they are now, the Steelers could win a playoff game.
Of course, that shouldn’t be the ultimate goal. That should always be winning the Super Bowl though it’s still too early to say if the Steelers can capture a championship. They can probably at least get closer than they have over the last few years, which should inspire confidence in fans.
