One of the Pittsburgh Steelers rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals are on their way to a second straight AFC Championship Game. They will take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday and it's not abnormal at all for Pittsburgh fans to be concerned about the future in the AFC North. Cincinnati has one of the best quarterbacks in the league with Joe Burrow and an incredible supporting cast around him. Mike Tomlin's team was able to defeat them in Week 1 of the regular season, but it is the Bengals who are having the last laugh as they secured a division title.
Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin roams the field prior to a matchup against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, NY. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
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Tomlin helped lead a late season charge that saw his team go 7-2 in the final nine games and barely missing out on the playoffs. There was promising play on both sides of the ball and rookie quarterback, Kenny Pickett began to play more consistent football as the year went on. With that said, they still are far away from contending, according to a former executive of the team.
Doug Whaley, who was Pittsburgh's Pro Personnel Coordinator for nearly 11 years, joined 93.7 the Fan on Tuesday and spoke about how far away the Steelers are from coming close to the Bengals in the AFC North:
"Joe Burrow had three of his offensive linemen out, three of his starting offensive linemen. If you took three of the starting offensive linemen off the Pittsburgh Steelers, would they be able to go into Buffalo, in that hostile environment, with everything surrounding that Buffalo team and be able to blanket them like the Bengals? That's all you have to say right there."
Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) on the practice field during 2022 training camp. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
It's hard to make an argument against what Whaley said on the radio show. If a realistic fan looks at Cincinnati and thinks Pittsburgh is anywhere close, you are lying to yourself. There is a bunch of young talent, yes, but this is the same Steelers team that got throttled by the Bills, 38-3 early in the year. Sure, they had a win against the Bengals, but Burrow was coming off an appendicitis.
Burrow's dominance over the last two years has solidified him as the one guy in the AFC North, and maybe even the entire NFL that no one wants to mess with. Whaley continued and while he believes Pickett has the potential to grow and get to an elite level, he isn't there yet and a lot needs to be done to get him there:
"That's how far that gap at quarterback is going to be as well. I'm not saying that Kenny [Pickett] can't strive and get better and get to that level, I'm just saying, you take a snapshot of the picture right now, that's where you are. So I think there's a lot of work to be done."
Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) warms up on the field at Acrisure Stadium prior to a 2022 regular season matchup in Pittsburgh, PA. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
The Bengals may regress after being a little more cap restrictive after Burrow signs a long-term deal, but he can make anyone look good and there's no doubt he is going to be a pain in the Steelers' side for a long time. Pickett and the offense need to get to work this off-season and be prepared to put up 30+ points on a semi-consistent basis.
Do you agree with Whaley's comments? Let us know in the comments below!
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