The Pittsburgh Steelers have been on a roller coaster this season, experiencing the highest of highs and lowest of lows. During the 2024 preseason, most analysts wrote the Steelers off; they were predicted to finish at the bottom of the AFC North and hand Head Coach Mike Tomlin his first non-winning s93.eason. They had to start Justin Fields during the season's first six weeks since Russell Wilson was injured. That led to a debate about who should remain the starter, given Fields went 4-2. Tomlin stuck to his guns and started Wilson, and was called a genius as Wilson got the team to 10-3. However, fans began to lose their minds on social media when the Steelers dropped three in a row in 11 days. That raises the question of what is an acceptable outcome for the 2024 season?
Before the season began, many fans said they just wanted the Steelers to win a playoff game for the first time since the 2016 season. However, when the team performed better than many expected, the goalposts began to move as the media started speculating the Steelers were Super Bowl contenders.
The recent backslide has fans complaining that this season has turned into the team's typical collapse, and most predict that the Steelers will lose in the first round of the playoffs. However, what is a fair measure of success for this season? That was the question posed to Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show when he joined guest host and producer Austin Bechtold on the Pomp and Joe Show on 93.7 The Fan. Bechtold said that it seems likely the Steelers will face a beat-up Houston Texans team in the first round of the playoffs, and a win like that doesn't count the same as other playoff wins.
"In theory, you're going to look at a 12-win team, that won a playoff game and say, 'Ah, what a terrible season,'" asked Kaboly. "I don't think you can go there considering where they came from. If they win that playoff game, what does the next playoff game look like? If they go to Kansas City, if they go to Buffalo, if they go to Baltimore and just get dog walked up and down the field again, then you have that bad taste in your mouth. If they win the next game, go to Houston and win that game, and let's say, go to Buffalo and play them close to the vest and lose, I don't think you can call this a failure of a season."
Kaboly said what he has learned about the Steelers this season is that they are better than people expected, but not great. He said that these three losses showed that there are good teams and elite teams in the NFL. The Steelers are above good, but not near elite.
The recent losses might be a silver lining, according to Kaboly and other media members. They have an opportunity to fix what's gone wrong. Fortunately, the Steelers have a few extra days to reassess what went wrong and stop all the finger-pointing so they can focus on preparing for the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18.
Steelers' George Pickens Under Fire From An Opponent
While George Pickens was out with a hamstring injury, it became obvious they would struggle to win without him. He returned in Week 17, but some of his more negative behaviors reared their ugly head.
Pickens has been accused of giving up during plays and not running the proper route. That happened against the Kansas City Chiefs and led to Wilson throwing an interception. Justin Reid dismissed Pickens, saying what he did, or how he blocked, wouldn't have mattered.
If the Steelers want to win in the postseason, they need everyone to give maximum effort and work to eliminate costly mistakes.
