Throughout much of the 2024 season, questions about the Pittsburgh Steelers have centered on the offense under Arthur Smith being good enough to elevate the team to a legitimate contender in the AFC. More often than not, the answer to that question has been “no” this season despite the Steelers being one of the best teams in the league — record-wise.
Those questions and the noise about the Steelers grew very loud after their Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns, but on Sunday in Week 13, the Steelers had an emphatic answer offensively, scoring 44 points and winning a shootout against arguably the best offense in the league in the Cincinnati Bengals.
That performance in Cincinnati is turning doubters into believers, particularly ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky.
Appearing on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike on ESPN Radio Monday morning, Orlovsky says he can now see the Steelers reaching the Super Bowl, especially if the offense can have even a semblance of what it showed in the win over the Bengals.
“Okay, so I absolutely can see Buffalo in the Super Bowl. Absolutely can see Kansas City in the Super Bowl. Absolutely can see Baltimore in the Super Bowl. Absolutely can see Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl specifically after, especially after what I saw yesterday,” Orlovsky said, according to audio via ESPN Radio, later adding the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans into that mix.
The inclusion of the Steelers in that mix with Buffalo, Kansas City and Baltimore in the AFC led to a follow-up question from ESPN’s Evan Cohen, specifically centered on Orlovsky’s take on Pittsburgh based on one game.
Earlier in the season, Orlovsky was critical of the Steelers’ offense under Arthur Smith and was especially critical of Russell Wilson in large part because he believed Justin Fields was the better quarterback and the better fit for Smith. Six games later, Wilson is 5-1 as a starter and is coming off a dominant showing against the Bengals, throwing for 414 yards and three touchdowns.
“I mean, like, I have to give them credit, right? You know, I’ve been very critical of them all season long. I don’t think the offense is one that can go carry a football team, but they were spectacular yesterday. Russell was great, Russell turned back the hands of time yesterday,” Orlovsky said. “And so again, the Bengals defense is freaking awful. But I have to give them credit if they’re gonna even be a semblance of that offensively, I think that gives them a legit chance at some point.
“I gotta sit here and say, now I’m not jumping, I’m not backtracking, I still think that offense down in the red zone is gonna have to play really good versus a really good defense.”
The red zone will remain an issue and a major question for the Steelers offensively moving forward until they figure it out — if they figure it out. Despite the great day overall against the Bengals, the red zone was still a struggle for the Steelers as they went 2-for-4 on the afternoon.
Settling for field goals and not finishing drives that reached the red zone with touchdowns could have come back to haunt the Steelers on Sunday. Fortunately it didn’t. But it still is an area where the Steelers struggle.
So, yes, they’ll need to be better there, especially against good defenses, particularly in the playoffs.
“But then the question is, well, who’s the really good defense in the AFC? And right now, Baltimore’s playing better. Kansas City I think is,” Orlovsky added. “I think that’s the most interesting conversation in the NFL right now, is what Kansas City can do [with] Spags [Steve Spagnuolo] defensively. Probably Buffalo is the best defense and they’re very good, red-zone wise.”
There isn’t a true, good defense in the AFC, if we’re being fair, outside of the Steelers.
The Chiefs have a good defense, but they have looked quite beatable all season long. Same for Buffalo.
The Ravens have a great run defense but have issues in coverage, and the Steelers moved the ball well against them, but struggled in the red zone. So, there might not be a true, good defense the Steelers need to be worried about. That doesn’t mean they don’t need to get the red zone figured out because they do.
But right now, based on what we know at this very moment, why can’t the Steelers get to the Super Bowl? They have the quarterback to do so, and the defense will be much better than it was on Sunday when it matters most. This is a very good team and should be treated as such.
