Former Head Coach Makes Bold Proclamation About Steelers' 2025 Season

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are a hard team to read through the first five weeks of the 2025 NFL season, but they are seen by most as a playoff team due to the unexpected drop off in the AFC North. The Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens have begun the season with a 1-4 record, while the Cincinnati Bengals are 2-3 and are expected to be without star quarterback Joe Burrow until December. He would probably only return if the team is firmly in the playoff picture, and it is hard to say if they will be.

The Steelers will eventually have to contend with the Buffalo Bills, but the team could be primed to make a run in the postseason with how the division is shaping up. The Steelers must continue to get better on each side of the ball as the season goes along and win the type of games that are coming up on the schedule against Cleveland and Cincinnati. Former NFL Head Coach Jay Gruden spoke about Pittsburgh on a recent episode of The Bullpen with Adam The Bull, and he tabbed them as legit contenders.

"As their defense gets better throughout the season, I think a C+ offense is good enough for them to compete because they get off the field quickly," Gruden said. "They're gonna get plenty of opportunities, and Aaron Rodgers has still got a lot of juice in that arm, and he can get the ball down the field for some big plays. I think they are a legit contender."

Pittsburgh does not have one of the most electric offenses in the NFL, at least through their first four games of the season. The group can continue to get better as the season moves on, but Gruden does not think the team needs to get much better. He believes the defense can play well enough to carry the team in a manner that the offense can just play above average and still win games.

A big reason for Gruden's thought process was Aaron Rodgers. He acknowledged the four-time league MVP and stated that he still has the arm talent to move the ball down the field. He also mentioned some of Rodgers' weapons, including DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III and what they bring to the offense.

"DK Metcalf is a big player, they've got Calvin Austin to take the top off, the running game is okay," Gruden said. "I think offensively, they're like a C, C+, but that might be good enough with that defense."

Metcalf and Austin have both made good contributions to the offense in 2025, but Austin is currently trying to bounce back from an injury. Pittsburgh's running game finally found its groove in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings, and it will be interesting to see if it can carry that momentum into a game against the Browns, who happen to have one of the best defenses in the league. If the offense can show a little bit of improvement while the defense can continue to force turnovers, Pittsburgh is a Super Bowl contender in Gruden's book.

Steelers' Defense Continues To Get Better

Pittsburgh's defense was facing sky-high expectations coming into the 2025 season, but the group struggled initially. Pittsburgh looked like one of the worst defenses in the league through its first couple of games, but the group has seemed to turn things around. The Steelers forced five turnovers in Week 3 against the New England Patriots, and that side of the ball had its best game of the year in Ireland against Minnesota in Week 4. 

If that momentum can continue, Pittsburgh could be a force to be reckoned with in the AFC.

Do you agree with Gruden's analysis? Let us know in the comments below!

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