The Pittsburgh Steelers looked a little more like a competent, complete NFL team during their 2023 Week 9 victory over the Tennessee Titans, but anyone who watched the game knows how many points and plays were left on the field. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren put together an excellent rushing attack behind a renewed offensive line, and still, a game came down to the wire yet again for the 2023 Steelers. While the win may have helped the franchise a bit, it did little to convince people that the team is anything more than another non-losing squad on its way to another predictable end to the season.
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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris along with Jaylen Warren put together their best running game of the 2023 season in Week 9.
Steelers Called Out As Pretenders By Ryan Clark
Pittsburgh changed things up during their Week 9 game against the Titans with Joey Porter Jr. covering DeAndre Hopkins, Broderick Jones starting and Matt Canada on the sidelines instead of his usual spot in the booth. All those differences played some role because the Steelers got their fifth win of 2023 over Tennessee, but there is plenty more left to do.
Ryan Clark was on NFL Live on Friday talking about the state of the Steelers, something that is up in the air despite their 5-3 record thus far. Stephen A. Smith had just finished explaining why he sees the Steelers as pretenders at this point in the 2023 season, even though he left the door open a bit in case that situation changes in the near future. Clark, on the other hand, seemed much more sure of where he stood on the subject.
"I agree with Stephen A. [Smith]. They're pretenders, and they're pretenders in the worst way. They're imposters!"
One would think, considering Clark's connections to Pittsburgh, that he would choose to see their recent win as proof that things are starting to turn around, but that was hardly the case. In fact, Clark doubled down as he continued his tirade against the Steelers, giving absolutely no hint of faith in his former team despite the supposed steps forward that they took in their Week 9 win over the Titans. Not only does Clark doubt the team overall, but he also can't see the Steelers being genuinely competitive against the upper-echelon teams in the NFL, even with the improvements they put into place.
"They aren't a team that can win a championship. This isn't a team that can get to a Conference Championship. When you look at what you saw [on Thursday], it's the way the Steelers win football games...I don't like the fact, though, that because Diontae's back now, George Pickens is not involved. But this is the team that we're gonna have to be excited about, overcoming obstacles and adversity to beat the Tennessee Titans. How does that team beat the Miami Dolphins? How does that team beat the Cincinnati Bengals? The Baltimore Ravens? The Kansas City Chiefs? How does that team beat the Buffalo Bills? They don't!"
This is someone who has experienced the inner threshold of NFL locker rooms and knows what actually goes on in a huddle, in Pittsburgh specifically, so he does know what he is talking about to one extent or another. It is worrying that, despite the positive points that led to the Week 9 victory, Clark doesn't seem impacted at all. In fact, he seems more assured of the 2023 Steelers mediocrity than ever before.
Abigail Dean / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett hasn't been his usual, accurate self in 2023 and there are many that are concerned by that
Steelers Happy With Being Just Okay According To Clark
The Steelers didn't win their six Super Bowls by accident, and they didn't become one of the NFL's most stable franchises by being haphazard. That doesn't mean that they always know the right direction to go, especially in the modern, offense-driven league. Clark is seeing some habits that he isn't too thrilled about, and the culmination will be another season filled with hope and ending in disappointment.
"We're overcoming and having to figure out ways to just be there! That's not the Pittsburgh Steelers way!"
Clark wasn't done, though, because there was one specific instance that happened during the Steelers Week 8 loss to the Jaguars that confirmed to the former safety just how far the team had fallen from their usual standard. According to Clark, on the sidelines following the loss in Week 8 of 2023, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence mentioned that "Renegade" hadn't even been played. The look on Clark's face showed how painful the moment was as he relived it, made all the more difficult when you remember that he has been on the field for those famed Renegade moments.
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Steelers edge rusher TJ Watt is one of the many players who draw energy from Renegade, so for it to not play at all in Week 8 hurt for sure
For those who know how home games go for the Steelers in Pittsburgh, that is a tough thing to hear. Clark went on to explain that it pretty much meant even the people in charge of playing it knew the game was never close enough to warrant using the energizing song. Clark was explaining what he heard Lawrence say after the Steelers' loss, which led into how disappointed he was in his former team.
"And one of the things that hurt me most...'They didn't even play Renegade'...That's where the Pittsburgh Steelers are, and that's sad!"
Those words would be brutal regardless of where they came from, but for it to originate from a former player in Pittsburgh makes it all the more impactful. There is a ton of football left to be played in 2023, but if things keep going the way that Clark sees them, it is going to be long and hard to watch.
Will the Steelers win more than nine games in 2023?
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