The 2023 NFL Draft is in the rearview mirror of the Pittsburgh Steelers so we all slowly turn our attention from the surprises and antics surrounding those three draft days and focus on the road ahead. The active trio of Mike Tomlin, Omar Khan and Andy Weidl has gone from a strategic approach to a successful result this offseason, but how much will it impact the on-field performance when the season begins?
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers assistant general manager, Andy Weidl speaks to the media.
Steelers Welcome Upcoming Regular Season Challenges
While we may not know the exact dates for the Steelers' 2023 regular season schedule, having the list of opponents laid out before our collective eyes allow a glimpse into what is waiting for this rebuilt and rejuvenated squad.
The Steelers have never been a "dome team", instead thriving on the elements when the weather turns a game into a rain-drenched mudfest or a blizzard that blurs the gaps on the field. However, every Steelers fan knows full well the stark difference between playing the Green Bay Packers in a mid-September matchup versus a late-December bout at Lambeau Field.
When the specifics of the NFL schedule are released to the public we will all get a clearer picture of the kind of journey that lies ahead, but that doesn't mean there aren't already teams that stand out as tests.
Gene J. Puskar / AP
Steelers look forward to their 2023 matchups versus the Baltimore Ravens
Steelers Want Revenge Against Baltimore Ravens
There is an air of legend around Steelers-Ravens games, bringing us some of the truly great games in NFL history (2008 AFC Championship and "The Immaculate Extension" for example), but the 2022 version hardly lived up to those heights.
Baltimore saw J.K. Dobbins run roughshod on the Steelers for 120 yards and a score and Pittsburgh seemed unable to stop him even when the game was on the line. There was a distinct lack of grit on the side of the Steelers, and without Kenny Pickett for most of the game (concussion protocol), it was a sloppy, painful day for the Black and Gold.
This iteration of the Steelers is a far cry from the team that got tossed around by Baltimore on December 11, 2022. The Steelers have larger, more aggressive trenches on both sides of the ball, tall cornerbacks are a thing in Pittsburgh again and if the Steelers have anything to say about it then the Ravens will experience a taste of their own medicine during their trip to Pittsburgh in 2023.
When the Ravens come to Acrisure Stadium, they will find a drastically different battle than they enjoyed last season.
AP Photo
Steelers will play a 49ers team without Jimmy Garrapola
Steelers West Coast Trip Will Present Big Test
If the San Francisco 49ers had a scary defense in 2022, the addition of the former Steelers lineman, Javon Hargrave, just accentuates that point. The 49ers boasted the number one defense last season, they have 2022 Defensive Player of the Year in Nick Bosa, and while they reached lofty defensive levels last year, Bosa doesn't expect a dropoff despite San Francisco changing Defensive Coordinators (2023 will be Steve Wilks first year in the position for the 49ers). The reigning Defensive Player of The Year spoke on that subject to Richard Sherman on the Richard Sherman Podcast:
"Whenever you have success like we've had, you're not going to fix what isn't broken."
The Steelers have dedicated this offseason to getting bigger, being able to push other teams around, and more than anything, they plan to run the football. If there is any team on the horizon that poses the biggest threat to that desire, it is the 49ers. Fred Warner, Hargrave and Bosa are three names that would instill trepidation on their own, but together they pose a truly challenging matchup to look forward to.
Make Or Break For The Steelers?
There is still a long wait before the official kickoff of the 2023 NFL season, but anyone paying attention can see the direction that the Steelers want to go. So far the moves look good, the draft haul will probably be the singular "water cooler topic" until preseason, but even without having the complete details in front of us, we see the skeleton plans already taking shape.
Will it all work out like the positivity seems to indicate? Can the Steelers win in the trenches week after week? We won't know the absolute answers for a while, but for now, I feel pretty good about where the journey has brought us - now to finish the job!
