Steelers' 2023 Rave Reviews Get Crushing Blow From Peter King Who Sees Them Near The Bottom Of The AFC North

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a clearly defined vision of how they would like to see the football team perform in 2023. Omar Khan, Andy Weidl, and Mike Tomlin have meshed and come up with a formula that, on the surface, looks to be returning the Steelers to a run first, run often, and beat opponents up with a physical offensive approach. The Steelers are embracing a formula that has worked before in Pittsburgh, but it remains to be seen if they have chosen the correct path for 2023.

NFL insider and infamous Hall of Fame gatekeeper Peter King released a pre-schedule release tier ranking of all the NFL teams in his weekly Football Morning in America column. King is a well-known analyst and has covered the NFL for decades and is currently employed by NBC Sports. It is hard to argue with the top two choices of the Philadelphia Eagles, who King ranks as a clear number one in the league in their own category and the perceived top of the second tier, who just happens to be the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

It is not surprising that a Super Bowl champion could fall to number two, but to not be on par with the team you beat with equally important personnel losses seems a little off, but that is nothing compared to what King does with the AFC North. King ranks the Cincinnati Bengals number three in the power rankings, the Baltimore Ravens seventh, the Steelers at 16, and the Cleveland Browns directly behind them at 17. Essentially, positing that the Steelers are just a Deshaun Watson renaissance away from the AFC North cellar.

What in the wide world of sports is going on with Mr. King? His reasoning for the Bengals’ high ranking centers around the following observation from his article.

“Since New Year’s Day 2022, Cincinnati has beaten Kansas City by 3, 3, and 3, and lost by 3,” King writes. “Lucky for the Bengals, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo didn’t get the Arizona job, he’s been as good as a schemer can be against [Patrick] Mahomes.”

The Bengals have been close the last two years and they are rightly at the top of the division in the NFL rankings, but they have problems on defense. The loss of Jesse Bates to the Atlanta Falcons will be a bigger issue for the Bengals’ defense than anyone is expecting. The deafening silence in Cincinnati that no one is talking about is Joe Burrow’s contract. He is eligible to sign a new deal and if history is any indication, it is about to get very nasty in the Queen City. 

The Ravens are also a curious choice at number seven. Baltimore did bring back Lamar Jackson, but King was very fond of pointing out for months that Jackson missed December and January football for two consecutive years. The Jackson apologists of which there are legion fail to point out that the former MVP is 1-3 in the playoffs and has never thrown for 4,000 yards in a season. 

“Lamar Jackson has the best weapons, by far, that he’s had since being drafted five years ago,” King observed. “Now he needs to stay on the field, and his collective weaponry should improve his 33-to-20 TD-to-pick differential over the last two years."

A rookie wide receiver and a 32-year-old aging star who is returning from a second knee injury might be the best outside weapons Jackson has ever had, but the Ravens might want to hold off on planning the parade. Beckham is much closer to the end than the beginning and if two consecutive season-ending injuries have taken away anything from Jackson’s running game, it might be a very long year in Baltimore. 

The veteran NFL observer moves on to the Steelers and specifically pans the secondary as his reason for the low rankings for the black and gold.

"NFL position group with the most surprising 2023 makeover the Steelers’ secondary,” King pontificates. “Corners Patrick Peterson and Joey Porter Jr. and safety Keanu Neal. Every one of those is a double take.”

Joey Porter Jr. is a rookie and Keanu Neal is much more likely to play the nickel and dime linebacker, rather than be the starting safety next to Minkah Fitzpatrick. There will be growing pains with Porter and Cory Trice Jr. who will probably both find the field in 2023, but Levi Wallace and Peterson should smooth the way while they learn, and the duo of TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith are not going to give opposing quarterbacks long to pick apart the secondary. 

The Browns, according to King, are entirely dependent on Watson’s ability to rebound and become the player he was before he forced his way out of Houston. The proximity to the Steelers in the rankings presupposes that will happen and they will pass the Steelers and compete for a playoff spot, or in typical Browns fashion, they won’t, and both will be at the bottom of the division. 

Steelers' Kenny Pickett Poised To Lead Steelers Back To AFC North Titles

The AFC North is highly competitive, but the division had a chance last season. The Steelers had a rookie quarterback and managed to go 3-3 against the division, splitting with each team. Kenny Pickett is a year older, and Watt is presumably going to be healthy in 2023. Pittsburgh has gotten high marks for the 2023 offseason and to cast them off into mediocrity is a curious prediction from an NFL insider. 

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Is King’s prediction of an also-ran season for the Steelers infuriating, or on the money? Please comment below, or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.