Colin Cowherd’s co-host Jason McIntyre on The Herd did not hold back on the Pittsburgh Steelers. In a recent episode, he absolutely ripped the Steelers when revealing his NFL tiers and Super Bowl odds. He listed the Steelers in the “Need a Prayer” category to win a Super Bowl.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers, I’m sorry guys, as much as I have liked Russell Wilson, it ain’t happening,” McIntyre said. “That team is not very good, schedule is daunting, no thank you.”
.@jasonrmcintyre says the Jets should be one of the five favorites to win the Super Bowl in 2024:
"I'm on record. They will be in the mix." pic.twitter.com/pbKbzRjVye
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) July 5, 2024
While he came off as rather blunt, I’d agree with McIntyre that the Steelers are not Super Bowl contenders. The quarterback position is just very uncertain. It’s unlikely that Russell Wilson or Justin Fields will lead the Steelers to the promised land.
The Steelers also still don’t have an answer at the No. 2 wide receiver position. This issue could create massive problems for George Pickens this season when teams implement double coverage. The Steelers appear to be comfortable with their receiver depth. However, on paper, it’s a bottom-tier unit.
The Steelers have the third-toughest strength of schedule in 2024. However, based on forecasted win totals, the Steelers have the toughest schedule this upcoming season, according to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football.
On paper, the Steelers have the hardest final eight games in the NFL, according to Sharp. All six of their AFC North divisional games come in that span, too. In fact, Cowherd believes it’s the toughest schedule he’s seen.
“That is the toughest schedule I have ever seen, (from) Thanksgiving on, in league history,” Cowherd said.
Gennaro Filice of NFL.com also thinks the Steelers have the toughest slate of games in 2024.
“The Steelers must spend their first two weeks on the road. In fact, they only have one home game in the opening month. And yet, it’s how the schedule closes that ultimately lands Pittsburgh in the No. 1 spot here,” Flice wrote. “Remember how the AFC North was the best division in football last season, with all four teams posting winning records and three hitting the playoffs? Well, the Steelers don’t even play their first divisional foe until Week 11. Yup, the schedule makers packed all six AFC North bouts into the final eight weeks. The other two games in this BEASTLY back half? A trip across the state to Philadelphia and a short-week Christmas affair with the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Chiefs. Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned a couple of high-profile Sunday nighters, with the Cowboys and Jets storming the Steel City during one 15-day span in October. Pittsburgh significantly revamped the roster this offseason — particularly on offense, with a new coordinator (Arthur Smith), two new quarterbacks (Russell Wilson and Justin Fields) and three potential rookie starters (linemen Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier, as well as wide receiver Roman Wilson). Can Mike Tomlin’s new-look Steelers survive this gauntlet?”
The Steelers currently have +5000 odds to win Super Bowl LIX, which ranks 19th in the league, according to DraftKings.