The Pittsburgh Steelers almost made the playoffs in 2022 thanks to a resurgence on defense and a power run game. But if the AFC playoffs have taught us anything, that isn’t how the Steelers will get back to relevance in an AFC stacked with elite quarterbacks.
The final four teams in the AFC are all led by their quarterbacks first and foremost. The Kansas City Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes, the Buffalo Bills have Josh Allen, the Cincinnati Bengals have Joe Burrow and the Jacksonville Jaguars have Trevor Lawrence.
Even a team like the Baltimore Ravens who made the players are a team led by Lamar Jackson but didn’t have him in the playoffs and lost. The two other teams that didn’t advance, the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers are led by elite quarterbacks.
This really puts pressure not only on Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett but the entire coaching staff to build an offense that not only maximizes the talent on the roster but helps Pickett maximizes his skills. There are going to be games when Pickett is going to be in a shootout with one of these elite signal callers and there is very little margin of error for his development. I still contend this is a big reason the team chose to keep offensive coordinator Matt Canada so there is consistency for Pickett and the offense.
Let us know in the comments if you think Pickett can lead the Steelers in the playoffs against this crop of top AFC teams.
