Pittsburgh Steelers fans are starting to dream. The brilliant run that the team is on could be one of the signs that the Steelers could at least be on to win the conference and go even further in the postseason if they get the chance! The Steelers may not have been fancied to achieve too much by many of the experts before the season, but some are now starting to wonder if they may be outsiders that could spring some surprises. NFL betting markets are constantly changing, and interested people may have been closely monitoring what the Steelers are likely to do.
Jason Bridge / USA Today Sports
Steelers' Mike Tomlin greets Ravens' John Harbaugh before a game.
Bettering Last Season
Progress and pushing forward will be the number one priority for the Steelers at the start of this season.
In the middle of a 4-year AFC North title drought, Pittsburgh fans will have been dreaming of at least managing this title and hopefully going into the postseason with some ambitions of taking things further. The Steelers are a strong team, but last season fell short when the postseason came around.
The NFL Playoffs haven’t given the Steelers many happy memories in recent years. Things didn’t go too well in the Playoffs last year, either. They were the 7th seed, so not much was expected, but they were scheduled to play against 2nd seed Buffalo Bills at the Highmark Stadium on January 14th, 2024 – many people will remember this as the game that was postponed due to the snow buildup. The fans even had to help clear the snow! There was a lot of confusion about what would happen that day, but the game was eventually played on the 15th, and the Steelers lost 31-17 to the Bills, ending any playoff hopes.
Things weren’t finished until late in the game on this playoff journey, but the loss will add to the fact that the Steelers are in awful form when it comes to the postseason. They’ve now lost five straight postseason games. Though a lot of personnel changed during that time, it is probably becoming something of a mental block.
Current Form
The current good run of form came from nowhere, really. Even the preseason (not that we can garner much from that) did not look great, and the Steelers succumbed to three defeats.
But bar a two-game blip, the form has been exceptional. The record of 8–3 could be even better if they didn’t experience a downturn in form at the end of September/start of October when they lost back-to-back games. Other than this, winning has been the name of the game, and even the three defeats total were pretty narrow games.
The form has been built on a solid defense, and many props go to the coordinator for helping to keep things low.
The Pro Football Network has analyzed some of the stats and the details of the Steelers’ chances going forward. They are pretty convinced of a berth in the playoffs and rank the team as having a 94.7% chance to make the playoffs. According to the network, there is a 5.7% chance that the team will be the first seed.
According to the same analysis, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a 55.5% chance to win the AFC North, and The Baltimore Ravens have a 43.9% chance to win the AFC North. The Bengals and the Browns are very unlikely to do anything at this stage, turning it into a two-horse race.
The team’s fans will be hoping they make a really good fist of things in the coming weeks, and it seems likely that a period of uncertainty might follow as there will be a fair few changes in the coaching staff, as well as inevitable changes in the players. After 2024, the Steelers could look like quite a different proposition.
What the Odds Say
What can we garner from current NFL odds and the opinions of various sportsbooks? The current odds are a reflection of a lot of different things, including form and betting patterns across the market.
The Steelers may be in very good form and look pretty respectable right now. However, with some top teams like the Chiefs, not many expect the Pittsburgh Steelers to be at the Super Bowl this year.
Jay Biggerstaff / USA Today
Patrick Mahomes throws the ball while the Steelers defense rushes him.
The odds on the team to make the playoffs are now very low. This is not the sort of bet for somebody who likes a long shot, as it looks like it is pretty much nailed on. We don’t want to overpromise, but the team would have to really throw things away from here.
The odds of the team winning the Super Bowl are more in line with the long shot we would expect the Steelers to be at this point. The odds that are on the market put the Steelers at a 7th, 8th, or 9th favorite to win things. Compare that to the much shorter odds of teams like the Chiefs, and you will see that the realistic chances of going all the way are slim. We’d say that the Steelers probably lack a little star quality to go all the way.
That doesn’t mean that a playoff run isn’t likely, though. The Steelers will be looking to break the hoodoo and at least win a postseason game for the first time in what feels like forever.
Conclusion
The Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t the first name on people’s lips when it comes to talking about Super Bowl winners. The truth is that they are an outside shot, at best. Things are looking up, though, and it would be some collapse to not better last season’s performance from here on out. The Steelers will at least want to end their conference drought and try to get deep into the playoffs.
