NBC Sports' Peter King Has Steelers Making Playoffs, Kenny Pickett Becoming Clear Top-12 QB

Here we go, folks. We are less than a week away from the Pittsburgh Steelers kicking off their 2023 season against the San Francisco 49ers. With that, it's time to get final predictions in. Over the course of the last few months, the verdict has seemingly changed on the AFC North franchise. The media has flipped the script, as confidence has grown in Mike Tomlin's talented team.

NBC Sports columnist Peter King released his season-long predictions on Monday morning. The longtime sports writer has the black and gold sneaking into the playoffs with a 9-8 record. That includes winning a tiebreaker over the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers in the ultra-competitive conference. King mentions quarterback Kenny Pickett as a big part of his reasoning for the Steelers making the postseason.

"You know how tough it is to keep Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert out of the playoffs? Kenny Pickett’s a top-12 QB by December," Peter King said in his season-long predictions piece.

Throughout the summer, Pickett has been getting rave reviews. He showed up to the team's early-summer OTAs looking different, as he put on a few pounds of muscle. The purpose? He wanted to be able to take hits for the durability of a 17-game (and beyond) season. It's something that he wanted to improve upon during the offseason, as he noticed the ultra-long NFL season in his 2022 rookie campaign.

The results showed up at training camp in Latrobe, as Pickett helped the offense show some significant improvements. That only continued into the preseason, as he had a perfect quarterback rating across three contests. Tomlin wanted to get his young players plenty of reps in the preseason, and he was able to do just that. Pickett, along with other youngsters like George Pickens, gave fans a possible sign of things to come.

What Do Steelers Need In Order To Make 2023 Postseason?

Now, the national media has hopped onto the hype train. King has Pickett becoming a top-12 quarterback, which would put him amongst some of the game's best. One has to think that if that happens, the Steelers will enjoy a successful season. Despite making the postseason, he has the Steelers losing to the second-seeded Kansas City Chiefs. If you remember, the Steelers' last postseason trip ended in similar fashion back in 2021. 

That was also the last game of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's lengthy career. King has the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens also making the postseason out of the AFC North. He predicts the Bengals winning the division for a third consecutive season. The Steelers were the last team to take the crown from Cincinnati, which was back in the 2020 season.

It seems like Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey is the only one not onboard with Pickett's improvement in 2023. In case you missed it, he recently threw shade at the Steelers quarterback. Pittsburgh finished the 2022 season with a 9-8 record, but they have made improvements throughout the roster since then. Despite a loaded conference, it's hard to believe the team won't improve upon that win total in 2023. Things all start with a difficult Week 1 opponent in the 49ers, as the Steelers open the season as underdogs at Acrisure Stadium.

Do you think the Steelers will ultimately make the postseason in 2023? Why/why not are you confident in the team's talent this year? Do you think Pickett has what it takes to become a top-12 QB as King mentions? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!

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