Count FOX Sports’ Jason McIntrye as the latest in what’s become an increasingly long line of analysts who are sending an apology to the Pittsburgh Steelers. After musing if the team could win two more games and theorizing that they could lose out the rest of the way, McIntrye offered a my bad while reacting to the Steelers’ 44-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers, the team I owe an apology to,” he said Monday on Colin Cowherd’s The Herd. “What a performance. They beat the Bengals scoring 44 points. Russell Wilson was tremendous. What a resurgence for Russell Wilson.”
Even if it’s not their preferred style of play, the Steelers showed they’re capable of winning a shootout against a top-tier quarterback. Russell Wilson matched Joe Burrow touchdown for touchdown, each player tossing three. And Wilson rebounded after a pick-six on the opening possession, showing his veteran steadiness to immediately bounce back and lead a scoring drive to tie the game at seven.
The Steelers scored their most points and put up their most yards since 2018. Wilson became one of three quarterbacks in franchise history to throw for 400-plus yards and three touchdowns in a game, joining Ben Roethlisberger and Tommy Maddox.
Coming off the Cleveland Browns loss, McIntyre repeatedly wondered if the Steelers were legit.
“I’m not saying the sky’s falling, but could you have two more wins on their schedule?” he said on Nov. 23.
“Here it is, find me the next two wins on that they have,” he said last week while asking if a 9-8 record would be enough to get them in the playoffs.
Four days later, he offered an even more pessimistic view.
“There’s a world where, the Steelers, if they lose this, they lose out.”
Pittsburgh still has a tough schedule the rest of the way and it is unlikely to win out. The Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs remain among the top teams in the NFL with Pittsburgh on the road for two of those while hosting the Chiefs on a short week. Even Sunday’s rematch against the Cleveland Browns is no layup.
But the Steelers have been doubted before and during the season. Oddsmakers put the team’s over/under at 8.5 wins. They’ve surpassed that with five games to go. Some analysts thought they’d win as few as six games while ESPN’s analytical projections pegged them as an 8-9 club.
Now, McIntrye is seeing the light.
“Arthur Smith has done some impressive stuff,” he said.
The Steelers now rank 10th in points per game even above the Kansas City Chiefs, a thought that would’ve been inconceivable coming into the season. While McIntrye’s doubt about Pittsburgh was a little heavy, credit to him for owning up to it after the fact. Like Mark Schlereth, we can always respect those who offer a mea culpa. Though drive-time radio shows like the ones aired by FOX Sports are always quick to turn on teams at their next stumble.
