Chris Long Thinks That Despite The Steelers' Atrocious Start, They "Can Still Compete" And Win The AFC North

Hopefully, Pittsburgh Steelers fans haven't lost faith in their team just yet after that awful loss against the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday. Despite reports that superstar defensive tackle Cam Heyward and Pro Bowl wide receiver Diontae Johnson will both miss multiple weeks due to injury, there is still a bright future that the Steelers can have in 2023.

Looking at the positives, the Steelers have two young players who can replace both of them and hopefully play well. Heyward's replacement will most likely be their 2023 second-round pick, Keeanu Benton, who was expected to be the future of the position anyways once Heyward retires. At the wide receiver position, you should hopefully see George Pickens taking on a more prominent role, as well as getting Calvin Austin III more involved. Monday's game against the Cleveland Browns should feature some of these younger guys who will have a lot to prove.

The Steelers' Poor Performance

After the poor performance from the Steelers in Week 1, many fans and NFL insiders have come to doubt how well this team will actually be. One person who has not given up on the team is two-time Super Bowl champion and 2018 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award winner, Chris Long. He recently was on The Rich Eisen Show where he explained that he thinks the Steelers can still compete and maybe have a chance at winning the AFC North.

"Pittsburgh just has to flush it. If I'm getting on that plane and I'm Mike Tomlin, I am saying look around at the AFC North and watch these games. We can still compete."

The Steelers have started seasons before on a rough note and managed to make the season meaningful. Going all the way back to the Steelers' 1989 season, they started off much worse than they did on Sunday against the 49ers. They started the season with a 51-0 loss against the Browns in what was considered one of the worst games in the franchise's history. After that, they managed to get their season turned around, went 9-7, and would get a win in the Wild Card round during the playoffs. This is just one of many examples from the Steelers' Week 1 losses that did not define their season.

Everyone knows Head Coach Mike Tomlin's famous stat that he has never had a losing season. Long has also brought this up and said that over the last three years, the Steelers have been able to cover. He expects that this year should look much the same and another winning season will go down in Tomlin's career.

"If you look at them [the Steelers] the last three years and I'll interject a little gambling here, they covered the last three years. They won those games outright."

Although a winning season is nice, fans have made it known that they expect more out of their franchise than just another 9-8 season. They haven't been able to win a playoff game since the 2016 season and a Super Bowl since the 2008 season. The standard has always been the standard, but playoff success should be more of a focus now than ever.

In order for Monday's game to be successful, some changes will need to be made from what happened on Sunday. The first will have to be a better performance from the offensive line and quarterback Kenny Pickett. One touchdown and two interceptions aren't going to cut it from him if he wants to be an elite quarterback in the league. Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada needs to get things figured out on his end and find a way to get Pickens more involved. 

Defensively, everyone needs to do a better job apart from TJ Watt who has proven again how great he truly is. If the Steelers can change these mistakes, they have the capability to be the champions of the AFC North and potentially Super Bowl contenders.

So, what do you think, Steeler Nation? Will the Steelers right their ship and make the 2023 season a successful one? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

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