Oddsmakers Have Shocking Predictions About The Pittsburgh Steelers In 2023

For the third time in the past five years, the Pittsburgh Steelers were on the outside looking in this postseason. The expectations were low for the Steelers, as the offense would be in the hands of a new quarterback for the first time in 18 years. Although the black and gold showed a spark at the end of the season and AFC North teams are crumbling, the oddsmakers aren't too confident about Pittsburgh.

The AFC North Has Never Been More Competitive

There was a time when AFC North games were a walk in the park for Pittsburgh. During the Terry Bradshaw era, the Steel City brought home six straight division titles spanning from 1974 to 1979. In more recent times, from 2001 through 2017, The Steelers won nine AFC North titles. Despite a history of success, the competition began heating up as each of the other divisional teams brought in Heisman-winning quarterbacks.

Oftentimes, bringing in a first-round overall pick means that you've hit rock bottom. Two out of the four  AFC North teams had this opportunity, as the Cleveland Browns selected Baker Mayfield as the first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and the Cincinnati Bengals picked up Joe Burrow first overall in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Baltimore Ravens, on the other hand, selected Lamar Jackson as the 32nd pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Early on in each of the quarterbacks' careers, they brought success to their respective franchises. While Mayfield took his team to the playoffs, Burrow led the Bengals to a Super Bowl and Jackson earned unanimous league MVP honors in 2019. The Steelers still had confidence in the veteran quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger.

The Odds Were Not In Pittsburgh's Favor

With Roethlisberger retiring after 18 seasons and a Hall of Fame-caliber career, the future was unclear in Pittsburgh. In typical Mike Tomlin fashion, the panic button was never pressed, and they proceeded with business as usual. Before the 2022 NFL season, there wasn't much faith in the future of the Steelers. In August of 2022, oddsmakers rated the Ravens as the favorite to win the division with -240 odds, the Super Bowl runner-up Bengals had +217 odds, the Browns were +2200 and the Steelers were highly unfavored with +4000. 

A Year Later, Not Much Has Changed

Despite a 2-6 start to the 2022 season, the Steelers were able to make a strong comeback following the bye. Rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett had a chip on his shoulder and was able to lead the squad to late fourth-quarter comebacks with poise. As the season was coming to a close, momentum was gaining for the black and gold. Ultimately, the Steelers finished just short of playoffs and third in the conference with a 9-8 record.

BetOnline.ag has released opening divisional winner odds, and it's not looking good for Steel City. Once again, experts are predicting that the Steelers will finish last in the division. Noah Strackbein of Sports Illustrated released a summary.

"Behind the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns, the Steelers sit last with +450 opening odds. The Bengals have the lowest with +140 odds, followed by the Ravens (+225) and Browns (+400)."

This information comes as a surprise, as the black and gold are the only AFC North team to be relatively drama-free this offseason. The relationship between the Ravens and Jackson is in turmoil. The Browns' foreseeable future is in the hands of Deshaun Watson, who is not living up to expectations. As for the Steelers, the future is looking bright. If you ask us here at SteelerNation, we think the Steelers should be getting more credit, but maybe we're biased.

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