Can the Pittsburgh Steelers actually compete for the Super Bowl this year? Well, put it another way: is there a team in the AFC that they can’t beat right now? That is how Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly looks at it, and he thinks the answer is no. After all, they have already beaten the Ravens, Chargers, and Broncos.
The Steelers have still yet to play the Chiefs, so the only AFC powerhouse they won’t test their mettle against in the regular season is the Bills. And I think most people will agree that the Chiefs, despite their 10-1 record, do look beatable. The Bills are an interesting team, but seem to live in a state of chaos.
“I look at how the AFC is looking right now with the standings, and there is not one team in the AFC that I say they cannot beat”, Kaboly said on 93.7 The Fan in assessing the Steelers’ playoff prospects in 2024. “Years, last year, the year before that, you’d be like, oh, whatever, there’s no way they’re to Buffalo, there’s no way they’re going to Kansas City [and winning]”.
“Now [the Steelers] can match those teams point for point. They can play any way you want right now”, Kaboly added. “If you want to throw the ball 50 times and 400 yards with Russell Wilson, they can do it. You can play bully ball, you can win special teams. And occasionally, … the defense could just shut you out”.
The Steelers just got a 400-yard, three-touchdown performance out of Russell Wilson, after all. They put up 500-plus yards and 40-plus points for the first time since 2018. Meanwhile, they have won multiple games this season without scoring a touchdown. And in contrast to years past, they have multiple wins when the defense allows 20-plus points.
For many years at this point, the Steelers couldn’t seem to win a game if they couldn’t hold their opponent to under 20 points. As long as they could keep things close, perhaps they could pull something out in the end.
But as the Steelers know from recent playoff experiences, things can get out of hand in a hurry. They are usually pretty good about living up to complementary football this year, however. Even the special teams has made a real difference, even if they had a blocked field goal on Sunday. Kaboly argues this is the most well-rounded team Tomlin has had in a decade.
Still, the Steelers have a long road ahead of them, and it starts by winning the division. They still have to play the Eagles, Chiefs, and Ravens, all in a row. If they could manage two wins in that gauntlet, then I think you have to take them seriously as playoff contenders. If they look like they don’t stack up, however, then maybe this is just more of the same.
