The Pittsburgh Steelers are not a team on the top of most people's Super Bowl hopefuls lists heading into the 2022 season. The organization lost a Hall of Fame quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger and have significant issues on the offensive line and at inside linebacker. Bill Barnwell over at ESPN, released an article Wednesday morning using history and numbers to predict which five NFL teams are certain to lose more games in 2022 than they did a season ago. The Steelers were one of those teams even though Barnwell states one of his favorite streaks in football is head coach, Mike Tomlin's 15 straight years without a losing season.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
He started off as very complimentary towards the Steelers organization and Tomlin:
"The Steelers went .500 with Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges as their primary quarterbacks in 2019. The team's reputation when it comes to drafting and developing talent requires no introduction. Tomlin is one of the best coaches in all of football," wrote Barnwell. "I take no joy in expecting the Steelers to break his streak in 2022, but this team has major questions on both sides of the ball."
The writer used DVOA (Defense-Adjusted Value Above Average) to analyze the defensive side of the ball and surprisingly, the defense wasn't as strong as fans may have thought in 2021.
"During Ben Roethlisberger's swan song in 2021, the Steelers weren't much better than the Raiders. While they finished 9-7-1, they were outscored by 55 points. They finished 23rd in overall team DVOA, down from eighth in 2020. Their usually dominant defense, facing the toughest slate of opposing offenses in the league and getting little help from their offense, ranked 22nd in points allowed. They were a more impressive 14th by DVOA."
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers Close Games In 2022 Were Mostly Against Bad Teams
It wasn't just an average DVOA, though. The Steelers had nine finishes in 2021 that were decided by seven points or fewer.
"The Steelers deserve credit for how they played, and there's certainly no shame in beating the Bills and Titans, but there are several narrow victories over middling or injury-impacted teams on that list. They needed every one of those breaks to go their way to eventually make it to the postseason."
If we take a look back, the franchise performed poorly against good teams which is not a good omen for 2022. Winning ugly against less than average teams was the story last season for Tomlin and co.
"If you include the postseason loss, the Steelers were 2-7 against teams that would eventually finish with a winning record, with those opponents outscoring them by more than 11 points per game. They survived by going 7-1-1 against sub-.500 teams, and while the wins count just the same when you beat the teams you're supposed to beat, they only were narrowly pulling out those contests. They outscored those teams by an average of 2.9 points per game."
While the organization knows how to draft the wide receiver position, it hasn't set it up for future success the last few years in certain areas, according to Barnwell:
"They've obviously been incredible at landing receivers in the draft, but the line is a mess, inside linebacker is a concern and what had been a deep depth chart at cornerback has dissipated."
Former Steelers cornerback, Joe Haden. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
While Barnwell will tip his cap if Tomlin leads this group to another winning season, he isn't counting on it:
"Facing what projects to be the league's fourth-toughest schedule, though, it's easier to see scenarios in which the Steelers take a step backward. It took All-Pro-caliber seasons from their two best players on defense and a season-long tightrope walk against middling competition to keep alive their streak of .500 or better seasons. If Tomlin can stretch that to a 16th consecutive campaign, I'll respect the legendary coach even more."
What do you make of Barnwell's disappointing prediction that the Steelers will take a step back in 2022? Let us know in the comments below!
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