Pittsburgh Steelers preview 2023: Over or Under 9 wins? Chances to claim AFC North title?

It’s NFL team preview time, and today we’re looking at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Each Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from July 25 through Sept. 8, we will take an in-depth look at each team in the NFL with a 7- to 10-minute video going through impactful additions and departures, last year’s rankings and strength of schedule in 2023.

Bet.NOLA.com analyst Jim Derry will then make a prediction on the team’s record this season and where they will finish in their respective division, along with the over/under win total, as posted by our partners at Caesars Sportsbook.

These stories are a brief summary of the accompanied preview videos – powered by the Dattitude Podcast (which will review each division every Friday until the season begins). The schedule for when each team will run is listed below with a link to each story and video that already has run.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Coach: Mike Tomlin (17th season)

2022 record: 9-8, 3rd in AFC North; did not make playoffs.

Last season in a nutshell: One would be hard-pressed to find a team that improved as the season went along more than this one. (Maybe Detroit?) But from 2-6 at the midway point following an embarrassing 35-13 loss across the state in Philadelphia, the Steelers won seven of their last nine games, including their final four.

Will that success transfer to 2023? It very well could, because this team is well-coached and it is young. Rookie Kenny Pickett didn’t start until the fifth game – a lopsided 38-3 loss at Buffalo – and he finished with 2,404 passing yards and only seven touchdowns against nine interceptions.

In his second season, Najee Harris was solid with just over 1,000 yards rushing and seven scores. But it was the young, dynamic receiving corps that could put this team in the mix for a long time to come (just like most of the other Steelers teams the past half-century).

Rookie George Pickens made some insane catches and could be the next Odell Beckham or DeAndre Hopkins, as he went for 801 yards. Diontae Johnson for the second straight campaign was the clear No. 1 target and has more than 2,000 receiving yards in two seasons. They also traded for Allen Robinson, which will make their wide receiving corps one of the best in the NFL.

Tight end Pat Friermuth, who is just 22 years old, already has 123 catches for more than 1,200 yards receiving in two seasons.

In other words, with an adequate offensive line, the Steelers are finding out how to move the ball – even in this tough division. Their defense improved from 24th to 13th, but that’s not where they need to be if they are going to be a contender in the AFC.

So we’ll ask again: Will the limited success from 2022 transfer to 2023 with improvement?

2023 bye week: 6

2023 Draft: 1 (14th overall) T Broderick Jones, Georgia; 2 (32) CB Joey Porter Jr., Penn State; 2 (49) DT Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin; 3 (93) TE Darnell Washington, Georgia; 4 (132) LB Nick Herbig, Wisconsin; 7 (241) CB Cory Trice, Purdue; 7 (251) OL Spencer Anderson, Maryland

Free-agent signings: G Isaac Seumalo (from Philadelphia), 3 years, $24M; LB Cole Holcomb (from Washington), 3 years, $18M; CB Patrick Peterson (from Minnesota), 2 years, $14M; G Nate Herbig (from NY Jets), 2 years, $8M; LB Elandon Roberts (from Miami), 2 years, $7M; S Keanu Neal (from Tampa Bay), 2 years, $4.25M; LB Kwon Alexander (from NY Jets), 1 year, $1.32M; LB Markus Golden (from Arizona), 1 year, $1.32M; S Chandon Sullivan (from Minnesota), 1 year, $1.23M; DT Armon Watts (from Chicago), 1 year, $1.23M; G LeRaven Clark (cut); LB Nick Kwiatkoski (cut); LB Tanner Muse (cut).

What needs to go right: Pickett MUST continue developing, and do it at a fast pace. What might make some Steelers fans nervous is his completion rate, which wasn’t great in college, either.

He finished his rookie season at .630, which was higher than his .624 in five seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, and that included a .672 in his second senior season of 2021. In fact, his draft stock jumped so high in one year because after throwing 39 touchdown passes in 39 college games before 2021, he tossed for 42 scores against just seven picks in that final season.

In other words, we’ll learn a lot this year, and there really aren’t any excuses, considering the talent he has around him, which had been lacking in Pittsburgh for a few seasons.

Nevertheless, we also ask can the defense take the next step. This has always been an area of pride for Tomlin, and dropping from fifth in 2020 to 24th in 2021 had to sting. They’re on the way back and have some key veterans in TJ Watt, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and signee Patrick Peterson to help lead the way.

Although the schedule starts tough with home games against San Francisco and Cleveland, it is the eighth-easiest overall, unlike last year’s brutal sked. There is only one non-divisional road game against a team that made the playoffs last season, and that’s at Seattle on New Year’s Eve.

An early bye (Week 6) is no fun, but if they can find a way to be 4-2 before hosting Jacksonville, Tennessee and Green Bay in successive weeks in late October and early November, this could be a sneaky good team.

PREVIEW SCHEDULE / LINKS

AFC SOUTH

July 25: Houston Texans

Sept. 2: Pittsburgh Steelers

NFC SOUTH

Sept. 5: Atlanta Falcons

Sept. 6: Carolina Panthers

Sept. 7: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sept. 8: New Orleans Saints