While the Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for the most Super Bowl wins by a franchise, they’ve lacked playoff success recently. They haven’t won a postseason game since the 2016 season. That’s part of the reason why Mike Tomlin stepped down as the team’s head coach after last season. However, former NFL running back LeSean McCoy is confident Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy will change things for Pittsburgh this season.
“I think they’ll be a good team,” McCoy said recently on his Speakeasy podcast. “Now, I don’t care who the coach is, I don’t think they’re gonna win the AFC and go to the Super Bowl. I don’t think the Steelers are doing that, no matter who the coach is.
“But I do think they’re gonna be improved offensively. All these years, I felt like the offense was the issue. Now, with Mike McCarthy there, with them weapons there, Aaron [Rodgers] with McCarthy, I see them winning a playoff game, and I think they can win their division.”
Rodgers and McCarthy have had a lot of NFL success in the past. They were together with the Green Bay Packers from 2006-2018, winning a Super Bowl. Their total playoff record together is 9-7.
However, some of those years also featured some playoff disappointments. For example, the Packers went 15-1 in 2011, earning the NFC’s No. 1 seed. However, they failed to win a playoff game, getting bounced in the divisional round by the 9-7 New York Giants.
McCarthy had some other playoff letdowns with the Dallas Cowboys, too. He only won a single postseason game in five seasons as their head coach. Therefore, there’s some concern that McCarthy could present the Steelers with some of the same issues that Tomlin did.
Still, the Steelers won the AFC North last year, and they’ve improved their team this offseason. Also, as McCoy says, the Steelers’ offense has been a problem for years. McCarthy could change that. If he does, then there’s a reasonable chance that they could finish 2026 better than they did in 2025.
Are the Steelers Super Bowl favorites? No, but they could fight for the AFC North crown, and that would be a good step towards winning a playoff game. Last year’s playoff game in Pittsburgh was a disaster, but maybe McCarthy will be a difference-maker.
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