CBS Sports Tabs Steelers as Team Primed to Miss Playoffs in 2024
The Pittsburgh Steelers have added Arthur Smith as their offensive coordinator and revamped the quarterbacks room with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields this offseason. They’ve also signed linebacker Patrick Queen to the most lucrative free agent deal in franchise history.
The draft is still on the horizon, but on paper, the Steelers seem to be a better team than they were last year. Especially at quarterback. Matt Canada no longer being a factor can’t be overlooked, either. But how much of a difference will it make?
Cody Benjamin of CBS doesn’t think the changes will take the Steelers to the next level. In fact, he has the Steelers as one of his six teams primed to miss the playoffs in 2024 after making it in 2023.
“Wait, what? Didn’t this team just acquire not one but two big-name quarterbacks? Yes. And both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields have the tools to be upgrades on the jettisoned Kenny Pickett. But this is still an old-school program married to conservative strategy in a tough division, with holes at premium spots like wideout and cornerback,” Benjamin wrote.
The Steelers have been stuck in a state of mediocrity lately with no playoff wins in seven years. It’s the longest playoff win drought since pre-1972 for the franchise. The Steelers haven’t had a losing season since 2003. They are always in the mix, but when they do get to the playoffs, they don’t just lose, but they get blown out. They’ve been out-scored 202-134 in their last five playoff games, all loses.
The Steelers started the official NFL offseason at +7,500 to win Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans next February. Despite the flurry of activity, they’ve moved to just +5,000 to win the Super Bowl, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, leapfrogging only one team in the process.
Pittsburgh has the worst Super Bowl odds of any team in the AFC North, and the sixth-worst of any AFC team. The lone team they’ve passed so far this offseason in Super Bowl odds is in the Indianapolis Colts, who are now behind the Steelers at +6,000.
The Steelers odds of winning the AFC North have shortened, from +1,100 at the start of free agency, to +850 now, but they are still a distant fourth of the four squads in the division. The Baltimore Ravens are the favorites at +115, followed by the Cincinnati Bengals at +165 and the Cleveland Browns at +600.
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