For most of Mike Tomlin’s tenure as their head coach, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been in the playoff picture. While they haven’t made the postseason every year, they’ve yet to have a losing record under Tomlin. Despite the Steelers adding some quality players this offseason, many analysts predicted them to miss the playoffs. While they defeated the New York Jets in Week 1, former NFL tight end Delanie Walker is still pessimistic about the Steelers in 2025.
“That was a good game against the Jets,” Walker said Tuesday on Up and Adams with Kay Adams. “They did play the Jets. The Jets came out strong with Justin Fields. Everybody didn’t know how this dude was gonna come out. But he was out there, he balled out. I think that game was so close, I don’t know if Pittsburgh makes the playoffs.”
This isn’t the first time Walker has expressed a lack of confidence in the Steelers. Earlier this year, he spoke about how he doesn’t believe the union of Aaron Rodgers and Arthur Smith will last. Walker played for Smith for multiple years, so he’s very familiar with the coach, and he doesn’t think Smith and Rodgers will be able to coexist the entire season.
After one game, it certainly isn’t a problem. Rodgers went so far as to call out people wondering if he’s got a poor relationship with Smith.
However, there are reasons to be concerned about the Steelers’ playoff chances. Their defense had a rough start to the season, and that is being charitable. They got pushed around by the Jets, unable able to stop them for most of the day.
If the Steelers don’t figure things out defensively, then they could be on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs. They’ve got plenty of talented offenses awaiting them.
That wasn’t their only issue, either. The Steelers also struggled to run the ball, and their offensive line didn’t do a good enough job protecting Rodgers. While they didn’t lose, Week 1 didn’t answer all of their questions.
Perhaps they can change Walker’s mind in Week 2. If Rodgers puts up another good game, and their defense fixes things, then the Steelers could be in a good position to make the postseason. It’s a long season, though, and things can change quickly in the NFL.
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