The Pittsburgh Steelers were an afterthought at the end of the 2022 NFL season. Kenny Pickett put together a nice run paired with Mike Tomlin’s genius to end the season 9-8 after starting 2-6. The Detroit Lions, who put together a similar run, were the darlings of the offseason. Bold prognosticators talked about picking the Lions for a deep playoff run.
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Steelers' Kenny Pickett.
The Steelers, despite the similar meteoric rise in the second half of the 2022 season, have been made the odds-on favorite by gambling interest to finish last in the AFC North. The Steelers have never finished last in the AFC North. If it happened, it would be for the first time since it was the AFC Central 36 years ago in 1988.
NBC Sports' Peter King Predicts Steelers Will Make The Playoffs And Kenny Pickett Will Ascend To A Top 12 Quarterback In 2023
On Monday, Peter King of NBC Sports announced his annual predictions before the season starts on Thursday. King predicted that the Jacksonville Jaguars would be the top seed in the AFC and that the Cincinnati Bengals would win the AFC North, with the Baltimore Ravens securing the sixth seed and the Steelers winning the seventh seed, earning a chance to measure themselves against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the AFC playoffs.
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Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio likes Joey Porter Jr. as an outside Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate.
Mike Florio, the founder of Pro Football Talk, who also works for NBC Sports, made his weekly appearance on The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller on Wednesday. Florio was also in the mood for dispensing predictions about the upcoming season. He showed even more faith in the 2023 prospects for Tomlin’s team when making his Super Bowl picks for the upcoming season.
"I went with Chiefs-49ers. I went chalk in both conferences," Florio predicted. "Although some would say the Eagles are the chalk in the NFC. I've actually got the Steelers getting to the AFC Championship against the Chiefs, and it would be the sixth straight year the Chiefs host the AFC Championship."
Florio's words sent Andrew Fillipponi into the stratosphere. The Steelers window with Pickett on a rookie contract is open, but Florio is the first national voice to predict that the Steelers won't just make the playoffs, but will make a deep run when they get there. Fillipponi asked Florio to repeat his prediction for the benefit of his co-host Chris Mueller to confirm he had not been paid to give it.
"We settled on $3.99 for me to say the Steelers will make it to the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs," Florio said wryly. "I just don't think the Steelers are going to be ready to take that next step because we've seen the Chiefs for such an extended period of time getting better. Patrick Mahomes is only going to get better. It's depressing if you're not a Chiefs fan."
The Steelers could have fared better in recent visits to Kansas City. Since they defeated Alex Smith's Chiefs in the 2016 playoffs, Pittsburgh has lost three in a row to Mahomes, including Ben Roethlisberger's final game in the Wild Card round of the 2021 AFC playoffs. Worse, the last two attempts have been miserable blowouts for fans of the Black and Gold.
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George Pickens (#14) makes a play over Joey Porter Jr. (#24) at the team's training camp.
The Steelers offense must take a significant step forward to dethrone the Chiefs. Andy Reid's bunch has proven that even the best defenses will give up 30-plus points in the playoffs to his offensive machine. The Steelers have an elite defense, but Pickett, George Pickens, Diontae Johnson, and Pat Freiermuth will have to prove they can match the Chiefs' attack blow-for-blow in late January to prevail.
Time catches up with every great team, and the Chiefs are no exception. Mahomes will likely lose his best weapon, the 33-year-old Travis Kelce, to time over the next couple of seasons. The core group of the Chiefs is getting older. Florio's point is well taken that Mahomes is just entering his prime, and Reid has rarely failed to put a dynamic offense on the field.
It is refreshing to see an influential voice in the national media like Florio recognize how far the Steelers have come in just one offseason. How far they go will depend on Pickett and the young offense building on an impressive preseason performance against the highly respected San Francisco defense. Get your popcorn ready because the show starts Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Do you agree with Florio's prediction of an AFC Championship berth? Please let me know what you think.
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