Steelers Land In Tier 3 In Fox's Jason McIntyre Ranking Of AFC Teams On The Herd

The Pittsburgh Steelers have gotten a ton of attention from national media outlets throughout the 2023 offseason as a team on the rise. Jason McIntyre and Colin Cowherd are the two main hosts of The Herd With Colin Cowherd on Fox Sports and have sent plenty of love the team's way during their conversations about clubs they're excited for in 2023. McIntryre recently laid out a tiered ranking for teams in the AFC, and despite all the hype he's been sending out into the world about Pittsburgh, they still found themselves in the conference's mushy middle class. 

With Cowherd out of the office, McIntyre decided to have a go at slotting teams into four different tiers. He had two teams alone at the top, two in his second tier, five in the tier four, and the Steelers among seven teams in the third tier. 

"This is a tough category because a lot of them are in the playoff mix," he said. "I'm very bullish on the Steelers. Can I be driving the Kenny Pickett bandwagon? I mean I have been pushing the Steelers."

He said he's got friends that are part of Steeler Nation that he hasn't talked to in years, but when a video of him hyping up the Steelers hits social media, his inbox gets flooded. 

"I really do believe they're a team to watch," he said about Pittsburgh. "Watt and Highsmith, I really like the Steelers."  

Two other AFC North foes, the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, joined Pittsburgh in tier three. McIntyre said he thought the Ravens were probably the team he'd be most likely to bump up a tier in a do-over. They have the highest win total from the oddsmakers he was looking at, but all the new pieces, plus not loving the defense in Baltimore, stopped him from moving them up. 

He called the Browns a confounding team. He compared the team to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 when they won the Super Bowl. He said that they are top-heavy and have a great offensive line, but lack any quality depth.     

He admitted it was a bit of a homer pick, but with all the Aaron Rodgers to Garrett Wilson videos already circulating, he's a believer in the New York Jets. So much so, that he put them alone in tier two with the Buffalo Bills. 

Steelers And AFC North Stuck With Conference's Team To Beat

Pittsburgh has always had to deal with competitive play within its own division and 2023 is shaping up to be no different. They'll have their battles with Cleveland and Baltimore, but the real measuring stick of the division is the Cincinnati Bengals. The Kansas City Chiefs occupied the other top-tier spot for two teams that McIntrye dubbed the class of the conference right now.

McIntrye said he's been shocked by the rise of the Bengals, but the presence of Joe Burrow has changed the fortunes of the franchise. McIntrye complemented his ability at the position combined with his attitude and almost always saying the right thing.    

"I watched enough Andy Dalton over the years that I didn't even think this was possible," he said. "For most of my lifetime as a Jets fan, the Bengals were like a laughing stock. Now, they're set to be one of the great teams in the league for a while here."

He also sang praises for the Bengals' defense and one of the most underrated defensive coordinators in the league, Lou Anarumo. 

Pittsburgh has its sights on a playoff berth in 2023 after agonizingly missing out on playing further into January by getting knocked out on the last day of the 2022 regular season. Pittsburgh is matched up against the AFC South this season, so that's two games against McIntyre's tier-four opponents. The team also gets a game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3. 

The path to the postseason is there for Pittsburgh. Pickett will be expected to take a step in year two and they have the personnel to be a top defensive unit in the league. Add a favorable schedule with some teams that Pittsburgh beat in 2022 (like the Raiders and the Indianapolis Colts) and you've got the makings of a recipe for a playoff spot. 

Do you agree with McIntyre's AFC tiers? Are the Steelers properly rated? Comment below!

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