The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2021 season with a 9-7-1 record, which was good for second place in the AFC North and a playoff spot, but they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wildcard game. With quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retiring after the season, the Steelers are hoping they will be competitive this season.
Pittsburgh averaged 20.2 points per game last season, which was 21st in the league, and gave up 23.4 points per game, which was 20th.
Even though Roethlisberger was in decline last season, he still completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 3,740 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
With Mason Rudolph not showing enough in three years to take over the job, the Steelers added Mitch Trubisky in the offseason and drafted Kenny Pickett, hoping he will turn into their franchise quarterback. Going into the season, Trubisky is expected to be their starter unless Pickett shows enough in the preseason to take over the job.
Pittsburgh has a good running game led by Najee Harris, who rushed for 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie. They improved their offensive line in the offseason, signing guard James Daniels and center Mason Cole.
After losing receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to the Kansas City Chiefs, they added depth by drafting former Georgia wide receiver George Pickens and former Memphis receiver Calvin Austin III.
They also improved their defense by adding cornerback Levi Wallace and defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi in free agency, while drafting DeMarvin Leal.
Pittsburgh Steelers Season Preview
With Mike Tomlin coaching the team, the Steelers will be competitive this season, but the question mark at the quarterback position doesn’t give me a lot of confidence, so expect them to have a winning season and miss the playoffs. A lot of Super Bowl 2023 predictions have the Steelers missing the playoffs, which is why their odds to win the Super Bowl is at +4000.
