If a 10-win team improves its roster and replaces a coaching staff many viewed as part of the problem, the logical expectation would be optimism.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, the opposite has happened. The more changes they’ve made, the more skepticism seems to follow them.
Former NFL star A.J. Hawk thinks Pittsburgh is dramatically underrated at the moment.
“I think the Steelers are shockingly under the radar a little bit,” Hawk said via The Pat McAfee Show Wednesday. “They’re a team I feel people aren’t talking about giving them a chance to make a deep run in the playoffs.”
ESPN’s FPI analytics model has Pittsburgh as the 11th worst team in the league with just a 12.2-percent chance of winning the division and just a 38.5-percent chance of making the playoffs.
Other analysts have blasted Pittsburgh for hanging onto Aaron Rodgers and going all-in for another year, predicting a crash-and-burn scenario for the franchise in 2026.
“That’s probably where Big Mike [McCarthy] and the rest of the crew like it,” Hawk said. “Because they know if people are talking bad about ’em or don’t think they are gonna be very good, I think that’s just where they wanna be and they’re hoping to shock some people.”
Rodgers’ arm talent and experience not only give Pittsburgh its best chance, but he represents stability at the position for the first time since Ben Roethlisberger retired.
Guys like Pat Freiermuth, who is entering his sixth season with the team, has a returning Week 1 starter at quarterback for the first time in his career. That continuity matters, and there are already reports of improved chemistry as proof.
The offensive line is a year older, with yet another first-round pick added to the mix and one of the most experienced and respected OL coaching staffs in the league. The receiving corps went from a one-man show to being three or four deep with high-quality playmakers.
Pittsburgh didn’t add that much to its defense, but key pieces like Jamel Dean, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Jaquan Brisker will help, and they already had one of the highest-paid units in the league.
The talent is there, they just needed some fresh ideas and a new approach to communication to bring out the star power that already exists. New DC Patrick Graham was an excellent choice to lead that effort.
The Steelers also have an easier strength of schedule to compete against, compared to last season. Not only should they be able to compete for the division, but they have perhaps their best chance to win a playoff game since they last did so a decade ago.
They still have plenty to prove, but it’s fair to wonder why a team that won 10 games and upgraded key areas is being viewed as a worse football team.
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