The Pittsburgh Steelers seemed to be poised to hit rock bottom after future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retired at the end of the 2021 season. The team picked up a journeyman quarterback Mitch Trubisky and drafted Kenny Pickett to replace him in 2022. Confidence was low for many that either of these players would be able to get the team to a championship.
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Pittsburgh Steelers retired quarterback Ben Roethlisberger won two Super Bowls for the historic franchise.
By the end of the 2022 season, Pickett was winning over many of his detractors. Now with a 3-0 finish to the preseason and a passer rating of 158.3, Pickett is now winning over the haters. However, now some of the media that were praising the Steelers just last week are backpedaling.
The Steelers Have Fallen Out Of Favor With Good Morning Football
The analysts at NFL Network's Good Morning Football recently discussed which team they think will be the most improved in the AFC. The Steelers were thrown out there as the team that will be most improved with the analysts debating that fact. Surprisingly enough, they seemed to be downplaying the Steelers' successful preseason, especially considering how far they have come.
The Steelers finished third in 2022 in the AFC North, just ahead of the Cleveland Browns, with a record of 9-8. Prior to the bye week, things felt bleak. The team was 2-6 and could not seem to get anything going on offense or defense. The offense wasn't able to score and the play-calling looked elementary. The defense, missing T.J. Watt who was injured in Week 1, looked out of sync. Post-bye week, everything changed and they were finding ways to win, finishing the season 7-2.
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Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker, TJ Watt.
This had fans and analysts absolutely rabid with excitement over what it would mean for 2023. Would they build upon last season's success? While questions won't be definitively answered until the regular season is underway, the preseason definitely offered hope to fans.
But now the GMFB team seems to be minimizing the growth and they said they are expecting other teams to show more improvement than the Steelers. While answering the question of which AFC team will be most improved, and whether they are "in or out" on the Steelers being that team, co-host Jason McCourty had an interesting take.
"I've loved watching the Steelers throughout the preseason - Pickett to [George] Pickens has all been a ton of fun. But most improved though, to your point, they won nine games last year, they just missed the playoffs. I'm going with the Houston Texans to be the most improved AFC team."
McCourty goes on to say that they are an organization in turmoil that only had three wins in 2022 and went out this offseason and brought in Will Anderson Jr., C.J. Stroud, Tank Dell, and Roberts Woods. From his perspective, if the Houston Texans only double their win total to six, that is much more improvement than the Steelers making the postseason.
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Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud enters a tough situation as a rookie on a rebuilding Texans squad.
He wasn't the only one. Jamie Erdahl also said she was 'out' on the Steelers being the most improved. She views 9-8 as a really good record and notes that having a record of 7-10 is much worse. For some teams 7-10 might be a huge improvement, take the aforementioned Texans for example, while for others it is terrible. She says she is picking the New York Jets who were 7-10 in 2022 as the team that will make the biggest leap in 2023.
"I think Aaron Rodgers, no matter how great Pickett, Pickens, I don't care how many Tomlinisms we get, the Aaron Rodgers effect on the New York Jets will amplify them more so than anything that happened for the Steelers this offseason."
Perhaps the most disappointing "out" of all came from Kyle Brandt, who just recently proclaimed that the Steelers would improve enough to nab a playoff spot in 2023. This is despite the fact that he thinks this is the best AFC North division ever and while it is hard to pick a team to fall short this season, he did not believe it would be Pittsburgh. While he is not saying he doesn't expect them to make the playoffs, he does seem to be backing off of the hype he previously displayed.
"I'd love to be 'in' on this, but I am also 'out.' I think if T.J. Watt doesn't get hurt last year, I think they are in the playoffs, I think they breakdance into the playoffs. I'm going with a team I hope is better, they better be better. I'm gonna go with the Broncos."
Brandt says that the Broncos have a quarterback with a Super Bowl ring, Russell Wilson, and a coach with one in Sean Payton. Despite the talent on the team, they were 5-12 in 2022. There is just nowhere to go but up according to Brandt.
Then as if all of that disrespect wasn't enough, Peter Schrager rubs salt directly into the wound by choosing the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders and the Steelers have been bitter rivals since the 1970s when the two smashmouth teams competed for championship spots often. He says he just sees so much talent on the team and they just weren't able to seal the deal and win games last year.
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Franco Harris rumbled his way to the game-winning score in the Steelers AFC Divisional win over the Oakland Raiders.
While it is true that other teams may have further to journey win-wise than the Steelers, we finished above .500 last season and many others didn't. It is tricky to say the only benchmark of improvement is the number of wins. On one hand, those wins are what means you get into the playoffs or not. On the other hand, there are many other factors, the Steelers being in the AFC North for example. The AFC North is widely projected to be the toughest division in the NFL for 2023. Not all of these other teams are required to win against three tough divisional opponents.
What do you think about the Steelers being the most improved team in the AFC? Are you "in or out?" Click to comment below.
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