The Pittsburgh Steelers finished last season with a 9-8 record. Not the best, not the worst. Bang average, but fundamentally not good enough to qualify for the playoffs with fierce competition in the AFC North division. 2023 could be different, but how much better could it be? At this stage, the off shore sports books aren't looking at the Steelers as favorites.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation.com (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin expresses frustration over offensive mistakes during the 2022 season.
Can Pittsburgh Go Further?
In the past five seasons, Pittsburgh has only made it to the Wild Card playoffs. They lost in that phase each time as well. This is a team yearning for postseason success, given they were playing in the AFC Championship, Super Bowl and even winning the Super Bowl, not that long ago.
One of the best attributes lending itself to a Steelers 2023 resurgence is the schedule strength. On the basis of last year, Pittsburgh has the sixth-easiest fixture list of the entire 32-team league. Compared with the others in the AFC North, it’s remarkably easier. While not a given, it means that Pittsburgh has a better chance to build momentum and come out with a better record than last year. When you consider that the Baltimore Ravens only qualified for the postseason with a 0.029 better win rate, then this could be the difference between playoff participation and no playoff games.
While the crunch games will be against their AFC North rivals, the Steelers should be targeting wins in their other games against the likes of the Houston Texans, the Tennessee Titans, and the Las Vegas Raiders to really get their season on an upward trend.
A big way for the franchise to get better results will be to utilize a fit and healthy T.J. Watt. While the All-Pro defensive player struggled in 2022 with a pec injury, he’s reportedly back to full strength now and could make the difference in 2023.
Steelers.com
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, TJ Watt.
Mike Tomlin – Best Coach in the NFL?
When you’ve won the Super Bowl before, there’s always that prestige. Mike Tomlin has been the Steelers head coach since 2007. Winning the Super Bowl in 2009 was arguably his crowning achievement with limited success since that point. However, the franchise is sticking by its man.
Of course, the Coach of the Year Award is measured by a different metric than other awards. In theory, you could be a terrible coach with the Kansas City Chiefs and still win the Super Bowl. The COTY is more about rewarding holistically the best coach. I.e. the man who inspires a team with a very poor record to qualify for the playoffs could be the coach of the year, even if his team is mediocre. Currently, Tomlin's odds are thriving at around +2500 for him to become the Coach of the Year with most off shore sports books or betting sites.
Is Kenny Pickett Going for the MVP?
Patrick Mahomes might be the default MVP for most seasons with his unwavering resilience for the Kansas City Chiefs. However, it might be worth a punt on the Steelers’ QB, Kenny Pickett for the MVP Award.
Why so? Well, he’s slowly becoming the franchise quarterback. Pittsburgh was always going to have a re-branding phase in the proceeding years of Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. Pickett is taking that mantle. After all, he left the Pittsburgh Panthers as the ACC Athlete of the Year, winning the 2021 Championship game. After his first season in the NFL, he knows the league better for it. While he might not be named the eventual MVP, it will return some value if it gets close and you cash it out.
Don Wright, AP
Another good reason to bet on Pickett for MVP is that he will be linking up with Allen Robinson next season. The distinguished wide receiver might not be as prolific as his yesteryear (2015 when he led the league for receiving touchdowns), but his wise head will no doubt complement the younger QB’s passes.
At present, Pickett's odds are around +4500, which would represent a healthy return if he does end up as the MVP.
Decent Backup with Mitch Trubisky
As much as Mitch Trubisky doesn’t want to hear it, he is a great backup to have for the Steelers. His overall record last season didn’t set the world alight with a 2-3 record. Yet the fact remains that the 28-year-old offers the franchise a lot of experience. While Pittsburgh and the upper management want to push Pickett as the franchise QB, Trubisky can be relied upon to put a shift in when needed.
Given the nature of NFL preseason games, the three matches against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Buffalo Bills, and the Atlanta Falcons could be the only opportunities that Trubisky has to give Tomlin a selection headache in the starting QB role.
