Despite an aggressive and great offseason on paper, Vegas isn't necessarily buying into the Pittsburgh Steelers being any kind of force in the AFC. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the team has an over/under win total of 8.5. A nine-win campaign would almost seem like a failure after retooling the roster and having quarterback Kenny Pickett in his second year in the league. It's wise at this point not to doubt Head Coach Mike Tomlin, and the reality of the situation is that the franchise has a legitimate chance to have a much larger-than-expected win total in 2023.
Steelers Head Coach, Mike Tomlin roams the grounds at then-Heinz field while his team warms up prior to a 2021 regular season matchup in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_Photo)
Pittsburgh has one of the easiest schedules in the NFL as their 2023 opponents had a combined record of 134-151-2 with a winning percentage of just .470. There is going to be one main factor that comes into play if the team wants to have double-digit wins and it will all come down to how the Steelers were against three divisional rivals that also have loads of talent.
In 2022, every team in the AFC North had a 3-3 record within the division. It's rare something like that happens, but an extra win over the Baltimore Ravens would have put Tomlin's group into the playoffs. These six games make up over 33 percent of an organization's schedule and having a solid run throughout the season in this category is overwhelmingly helpful.
Outside of the AFC North, Pittsburgh will only take on three teams from 2022 that had a winning record: the San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Seattle Seahawks. Four or five wins against the Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns will be the exact recipe to not just make it into the playoffs, but potentially win the division.
Steelers edge rusher, TJ Watt (#90) chases down Ravens elusive quarterback, Lamar Jackson (#8) during a regular season game in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Gene J. Puskar / AP
Two of the three matchups outside of the AFC North had winning records in 2022 and will also come to Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium. One can figure, if they can steal one of those and take care of business against the Seahawks on the road, four wins in the division will already have them at six and that would be against the tough part of the schedule.
That leaves the Las Vegas Raiders, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Rams, Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts leftover. The Steelers could easily scratch six wins against these teams. A 12-win season may be a little too optimistic, but it can't be ruled out given the nature of the schedule.
Of course, nothing ever goes as planned in the NFL. Injuries occur, some teams like Pittsburgh have two Thursday Night Football games scheduled and playing down to competition has always been a weak point of Tomlin's teams. Nevertheless, if Pickett makes a leap and the defense remains intact for the majority of the season, the Steelers have a legitimate chance to surprise a lot of people.
Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) looks on during his rookie season at 2022 training camp while the team practices at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. | Jordan Schofield / Steeler Nation (Twitter: JSKO_Photo)
The Steelers Could Have A Wide Open Door To Prove Doubters Wrong
Pittsburgh is often overlooked, especially in the past few seasons. The AFC is stacked with incredible amounts of talent and the Steelers don't quite have the offense to keep up with all of the intense firepower. That could change in 2023 if Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada gets it together and the unit uses a relatively easy schedule to open up the playbook. The key will be in the division, but Tomlin's group also needs to take care of business in the games that should be won instead of playing down to competition.
Do you think the Steelers have a chance to secure 12 wins in 2023? Let us know in the comments below!
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