The Pittsburgh Steelers have been searching for their elusive seventh Super Bowl victory for quite some time now. While the Steelers aren’t exactly knocking on the door of a Super Bowl this year, former Steeler Bryant McFadden does believe they’re closer than one of their division rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaking on 93.7 The Fan on Friday, host Andrew Fillipponi asked McFadden if he believed Pittsburgh was closer to that threshold than Cincinnati.
“Yes,” McFadden replied. “Okay, hear me out… Who has a better record out of Zac Taylor and Mike Tomlin, since Zac Taylor has been the head coach?… When it comes to coaching, we [Steelers] have a better coaching staff than Cincinnati. We have a better defense than Cincinnati. We have a better special-teams unit than Cincinnati. The only thing Cincinnati has better is offense, that’s it.”
To be clear, McFadden doesn’t necessarily think the Steelers are destined for the Super Bowl this year. He said as much on CBS Sports HQ on Thursday, reacting to Rodgers agreeing to sign.
However, many still aren’t giving the Steelers a ton of credit, despite improving their quarterback room with Rodgers. Some expect them to finish third in the division regardless of their quarterback. It’s less of an argument to take the Ravens over the Steelers, but McFadden does make some good points here.
The Bengals do a few things better than the Steelers, and they’re all on the offensive side of the ball. Joe Burrow has cemented himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the game, and the Steelers might not match up with Cincinnati at that position for years to come. They also have two terrific receivers in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who both are now under long-term deals.
With that said, there isn’t really another aspect that gives the Bengals a better chance than the Steelers of winning a Super Bowl.
The Steelers are significantly better on defense. That was a major weakness for the Bengals last year, and it’s the reason they fell short in their chase of the playoffs. Under Danny Smith, the Steelers have consistently had quality special teams throughout the years. And while Zac Taylor has overseen a few winning seasons with the Bengals, he doesn’t match up to Mike Tomlin.
All things considered, this isn’t really a controversial opinion. The Steelers lost four straight games to end their regular season last year, including a loss to the Bengals at home in the last game of the season. And yet, even with that 10-7 record, they finished ahead of Cincinnati.
Even with Rodgers, the Steelers didn’t take a big step forward this offseason. However, they should have better quarterback play, and there isn’t a part of the roster that got significantly worse. The Steelers likely won’t be contending for a Super Bowl this year. However, they’ve got an argument over the Bengals.
