Is it time to take the Steelers critically as a Tremendous Bowl contender?
The Steelers are actually 8-2 and coming off high quality wins over the Washington Commanders and the Baltimore Ravens. Whereas they nonetheless have a protracted highway forward, they’re in the very best spot they’ve been since 2020. With seven video games to go, they management their future for the No. 1 seed within the AFC—however they nonetheless should get by the Chiefs, Eagles, and Ravens once more—and the Bengals and Browns twice.
However we’re not speaking about playoff seeding, we’re speaking in regards to the maintain pierogi right here. Can the Steelers win the Tremendous Bowl on the finish of the 2024 season? That’s what it’s all main as much as, and the one factor we actually care about past leisure worth. And now the query is, is it time for the soccer group to take them critically as contenders?
By means of the primary half of the season, one might argue that the Steelers didn’t actually have any high quality wins. Even the wins that may look higher in hindsight nonetheless include caveats, similar to Justin Herbert being harm.
Now they’ve crushed the darling rookie QB Jayden Daniels and stymied the presumptive league MVP. They toppled the NFL’s highest-scoring offense with out scoring a landing. Lamar Jackson hasn’t scored as few as 16 factors since…effectively, the final time he performed the Steelers.
Sitting right here in Week 11, how sensible are the Steelers’ probabilities of profitable the Tremendous Bowl? Maybe we have to issue within the highway they need to nonetheless journey alongside the way in which, which, once more, contains two two-loss groups plus a Ravens workforce that’s as lethal as any. They usually nonetheless have 5 extra divisional video games to go, although hopefully they will stack some chips in Ohio.
There are some issues, after all, although each workforce has them. Russell Wilson discovered himself throwing the ball away quite a bit yesterday, particularly within the purple zone, unable to navigate a frustratingly leaky pocket. The protection additionally continues to rely as a lot on opportunism as something, which is okay till the alternatives run out. The Steelers have some holes, definitely—however are they extra deflating than others’? Have they got a roster that may pull off a title run?
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following one other disappointing 12 months ending in a first-round playoff loss. They’ve had a protracted offseason for the reason that Buffalo Payments stamped them out of their distress again in January. There are constructive indicators, however issues might soar off the rails any second.
The most important query hanging over the workforce is the quarterback query. Is Russell Wilson earning a lucrative new deal next year, and is Justin Fields nonetheless in consideration? How will the workforce proceed to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly nonetheless in flux?
The common season is right here, following weeks of camp and preseason video games. The Steelers made quite a few strikes by signings and commerce—and launch. Greater than normal, they appeared snug creating holes, assured they will fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not a lot. Now that we’ve got so many items of the puzzle, nonetheless, we merely have a brand new set of inquiries to ask.
