The Pittsburgh Steelers have opened eyes during the 2023 preseason, dominating every team they played en route to a 3-0 record. Sophomore quarterback Kenny Pickett made the offense look automatic, marching down the field for a touchdown in all of his five drives. The Pittsburgh defense looked as stout as ever, constantly frustrating offenses, including the first-team Buffalo Bills offense. The Steelers have impressed everyone whose watched them so far, and NFL insiders are starting to pick them as the AFC North leaders or the most dangerous sleeper team in the entirety of the AFC.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers defense celebrates after a turnover during a regular-season game.
An unnamed NFL executive told insider Jason La Canfora he has immense confidence in this 2023 Steelers team, describing how they could be the best team in the supposed best division in the NFL. The executive knows the Steelers have made numerous amounts of moves this offseason to improve their weakest spots, and he believes the Steelers are ready to compete.
"That's my sleeper in the AFC right there. I love what they're doing. They're building a deep football team, man. They had another great offseason. They overhauled the offensive line, and I think that's the best defense in the AFC North."
Pittsburgh's 2023 draft was also second to none, finding multiple rookies with starting potential. That includes a late-round pick turned rookie sensation in Nick Herbig. Broderick Jones, Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton and Spencer Anderson have also been impressive in their rookie campaigns. The Steelers have hit it out of the park during the offseason, and it continues to get better for the young team.
"They found five more starters in the draft. I'm not even counting [Spencer Anderson] because I didn't see him too much. Look out for the Steelers. They are going to make some noise."
Every team needs a solid quarterback in order to compete and Pickett has proven that he's capable of being a franchise quarterback. After a shaky start to his rookie year, Pickett took things under control after the bye week, turning his touchdown/interception ratio from 0.38 to five. Pickett has taken even more leaps in the preseason, becoming the only quarterback in 2023 to finish the preseason with a perfect quarterback rating (158.3). Pickett also stated he watched every single incompletion he threw during the 2022 season and took notes on it to limit those same mistakes happening in the future. Pickett has impressed everyone this offseason and is coming into the regular season with a head full of steam.
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Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) throws a deep ball down the sidelines while warming up for a 2022 matchup.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin has helped build confidence in this team, as he's on track to collect his 17th consecutive winning record. Tomlin hasn't coached a losing team in close to two decades, and it doesn't look like this team will be the one to break that impressive streak. The 2022 Steelers were 2-6 heading into a week nine bye, but then turned up the heat to finish 7-2 in their final games to hand Tomlin his 16th consecutive non-losing season. Tomlin knows how to build a strong team, and this squad looks to be the strongest he's had in a couple of years. It's no surprise NFL insiders are picking this team to win the AFC North.
Can the Steelers back the Hype?
The most aggravating trend in professional sports is seeing a long-hyped-up team struggle during the regular season and fail to meet their expectations. It's a crushing blow to all of their fans and an embarrassing look for the team. Pittsburgh has been the most talked about team following the preseason, and almost every news outlet is picking up the Steelers and placing them in the playoffs, putting huge expectations on a very young Steelers squad.
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The last time the Steelers won a playoff game was a 2017 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Play-calling has been one of Pittsburg's biggest downfalls, with Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada almost always under heavy scrutiny. The one kryptonite the Steelers exhibited in the 2023 preseason was goal-line offense, with the play calls becoming one-dimensional and predictable. Many can argue that was just to find a rhythm in the preseason and the play-calling will drastically improve during the regular season, but some are still skeptical.
This is a make-or-break season for Canada, and he seems to be up for the task. He opened up the playbook during the preseason and let his players work and find their groove. Canada has a newfound confidence in his offense now that Pickett has a year under his belt and is gelling well with his star receivers. All of the hints we've gotten so far point to the Steelers making a lot of noise during the 2023 regular season.
How do you think the Steelers will perform in 2023? Will they win the AFC North? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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