"Steelers Crumble": Pittsburgh Is Already In Big Trouble As Season Nears

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off of an AFC North division title that silenced many critics. Pittsburgh went 10-7 and overcame the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 of the regular season. This win clinched the divisional title and proved that Pittsburgh can still compete for an AFC North title year in and year out. This upcoming season should be more of the same and the belief in Pittsburgh continues to grow. Defending of the AFC North title becomes top priority.

Although Pittsburgh is coming off successful season, many people still don't believe in the team. The way Pittsburgh snuck into the playoffs after narrowly avoiding another December collapse did not impress many around the NFL.

In recent years, Pittsburgh has struggled with consistency and success in the postseason. The drought has reached almost a decade, and Pittsburgh seriously wants to break that streak. With the return of Aaron Rodgers and the additions of Rico Dowdle, Michael Pittman Jr., and Germie Bernard, Pittsburgh feels confident in what they have. 

Pittsburgh has more than one reason to have hope, as long time coach Mike Tomlin stepped down, and that brought in Mike McCarthy. This decision brings a new era of the franchise, and many are hopeful for what McCarthy can bring with his offense and the changes that come with it.

McCarthy's arrival brings a massive change in culture and is completely different than what Tomlin has ran over his coaching career in Pittsburgh. Although the hope in Pittsburgh is plentiful, Skip Bayless is not impressed with what Pittsburgh has done this offseason.

"Steelers crumble all day, easiest pick of the day to me," Bayless said.

Bayless seems to think that each team in the division surpassed Pittsburgh and that the path to the playoffs has become even harder and there will be no sneaking in. Pittsburgh always defies expectations and even though many do not think that there is any chance of success this season, Pittsburgh begs to differ.

Rodgers return means one more year of certainty at the quarterback position, and he looks to continue off of the success he had last season. However, Rodgers still faces an uphill battle with the likes of Baltimore and the Cincinnati Bengals both looking to regain their statuses as champions of the AFC North. 

Pittsburgh will need to stay healthy and stay consistent throughout the entire season and not fall back or slip up in any crucial divisional games. That always seem to be close regardless of what either teams record is. 

Pittsburgh cannot afford the midseason lapses that has hurt it in previous years, especially with expectations as high as they are entering 2026. If the Steelers can avoid major injuries, take care of business against division opponents, and maintain the same level of focus from September through January, they will put themselves in an excellent position to defend their AFC North crown and make a deep postseason run.

Steelers Need Consistency From The Offense

In past seasons, Pittsburgh has struggled to find any sort of consistency in the offense, and it has hurt it in the long run. Teams do not respect the offense and dare them to beat them in ways that they know Pittsburgh is not capable of. A big step forward in finding that consistency and utilizing the weapons that they acquired this offseason. 

The lack of offensive production hurt Pittsburgh in their playoff loss to the Houston Texans, the offense struggled to find any sort of traction and could not move the ball whatsoever, the lack of a true wide receiver two, and the injury to Darnell Washington ultimately did Pittsburgh in, and it was lucky to even get into the playoffs. 

The hope going forward is that the offense can consistently move the ball and give some sort of production that can trickle down to all aspects of the team. If Pittsburgh can do that then its chances to repeat as divisional champ's skyrockets and puts a new perspective on the team.

#SteelerNation