The 2025-26 Steelers March to the Super Bowl Thread

The Game Room
1

Football is upon us, and so it is time for me to compose my annual essay about how my beloved Steelers are going to win a 7th championship, only to have absolutely none of it come true. But, as always, fanaticism trumps delusion, so there we are. As an aside, we need to find a word to replace “trump” because simply typing that makes me feel dirty. But I digress.

Last year the Steelers relied on Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to lead the offense. It was kinda-sorta OK at the beginning but Wilson faded and they decided Fields wasn’t the answer. So what did they do? They let themselves be held hostage by Aaron Rodgers, another past-his-prime headcase. It dragged on and on, leading Cam Heyward to say “If you want to be here, be here”. Those words would come back to haunt him later, but we’ll get there. Anyway, finally Rodgers signed, and by all accounts he’s been professional and not nuts, which is a good sign. Two years removed from a torn Achilles but into his football dotage, it remains to be seen what he has left, but if it’s 80% of his MVP form he’ll still be what Pittsburgh needs, at least for this year. The long term solution at QB remains elusive.

Then they traded George Pickens, a guy with million dollar talent and a ten cent head, and picked up DK Metcalf, another mercurial talent. Pickens already confirmed that it was a good trade by acting the fool on Thursday. Metcalf hasn’t made any waves yet, but he likely will sooner or later. We’ll see.

Then TJ Watt had his contract done after much handwringing, but they needed to do it so it finally got done.

And THEN Cam Heyward, team captain, team leader, Walter Payton Man of the Year, and source of the aforementioned quote about “being there”, decides to alienate every fan with a hold-in a year after signing a contract coming off a pretty severe injury. Apparently he made some sort of implied deal that he’d be back for more if he outperformed his contract, which he admittedly did. I’m good with players getting theirs, but that’s why you have an agent, so deals aren’t implied. So he played his little game, which was really a bad look, but yesterday got his money so that’s finally over.

Now, with all the political junk out of the way, we can get down to it. The defense is as stellar as usual, they imported a bunch of free agent secondary players like Darius Slay and Juan Thornhill and traded Minkah back to Miami for Jalen Ramsay. Add Porter and you pass on them at your own risk. Plus they still have Watt, Highsmith, and Heyward, and some solid interior linemen like 1st-round pick Derrick Harmon so it could be something special to see this year.

The offense is a different story. They let Najee Harris go and sent Pickens away but picked up Jonnu Smith and Metcalf so they still lack a definitive number 2 receiver, though I’m hoping Calvin Austin or Roman Wilson step into that role. The featured back is Jaylen Warren, good as a slashing complement to the bruising power of Harris but maybe not as the primary option. Broderick Jones is finally in his natural position so he needs to show out or he’ll be out of town soon. And, of course, A.A.Ron. I swear, I’m going to lose my mind if he starts his whackadoodle shit again.

Anyway, the pieces are all there to be successful. But they have to prove it, and in that division that’s a real challenge. The Rats are once more expected to win the division, the Bungles have offense for days but a defense that couldn’t stop a pickup team from Cal Tech, and the hapless Browns led by the Elite Joe Flacco, the best choice in a room full of blah.

And then you have the Bills, who in true Buffalo fashion can’t get over the hump, the Chargers might actually be good this year, Denver is surging, the Chiefs aren’t out of it though they are noticeably weaker based on Thursday’s game… the AFC is hyper-competitive and wide open at the same time.

And then there’s the Eagles. I have no idea how they haven’t busted the cap with all the blue chips they keep getting, but they’re ludicrously stacked, easily the class of the NFC and maybe the NFL. But it only takes one loss at the right time and they’re out, so let’s not crown their asses just yet.

In any case, if you cared enough to read this, here is my prediction: 17-0, domination, undefeated Supe…

OK, really. I think they’ll do better than the 9-8 (or even 8-9) that the pundits have predicted. I’ll call for 11 wins and at least a wild card, and I’m optimistic about a playoff win this year. Omar Khan (the GM) has them going the right direction. We’ll see how it plays out.

Enjoy the season, everyone.

2

Speaking as a Jets fan: hope springs eternal!

3

What did you do wrong in your life to become a Jets fan? Nobody deserves that. Well, maybe Fireman Ed. But dude, they never make the right decisions. Woody Johnson is quietly one of the worst owners in football. At least he has the sense to make his awful decisions quietly unlike Tepper or Jerruh.

4

I too am a long suffering Jets fan. My sin was discovering the NFL in 1985. It’s been all downhill since then…

(I still think Ken O’Brien is awesome)

6

I watched him since his rookie year as a Seattle fan. He is a bit of a wildcard on the field, but he uses it to his advantage. He’s a trash-talker and taunter, but he’s strategic about it. He’s pretty good at avoiding penalties while pissing off defenders enough to draw penalties.

I don’t expect him to be a problem for the team unless he has a change of personality along with a change of venue. (Which can happen, but hopefully not.) He also doesn’t tend to get into trouble off the field either.

7

I don’t generally have much use for the Steelers. But I did need them to win today to polish off a parlay, so I’m rather pleased at the moment. Christ, I really didn’t think the Jets were going to be such a handful. Could it be that they’re not awful?

8

I’ll quote myself:

9

The Jets did……Jet things.

If Fields would have just tucked and run on that 4th down and dived, there’s a decent chance he would have picked up the first down. With three Steelers ahead of him, though, I can understand why he didn’t want to take the impact.

10

One first down is probably not worth the starting QB getting an injury.

11

Pittsburgh gets the Seachickens for their home opener this week.

It sure would be nice if the defense showed up. The Jets ran wild on them last week and they made Justin Fields look like a Hall of Famer. Let’s hope the same thing doesn’t happen with Sam Darnold. I’d love to see Metcalf go off on his old team as well.

It’s too much to ask that Rodgers puts up 4 touchdowns a week, but he’s at least 80% of what he was when he was the MVP. He’s not really mobile anymore, but he’s still a football genius under center and it showed last week. If they give him decent protection they’ll be just fine.

12

Most starting QBs could look like MVPs if they have all day to throw. Given enough time somebody is going to get open. It’s a big “if” though. It’s hard to block forever without committing a hold.

Seattle this year has a really scary pass rush but some issues in coverage (if last week is an indicator) so he’d be best off not holding the ball too long.

13

There is a difference between the ‘90s Cowboys line who gave Aikman all day and opened big holes for Emmitt Smith and the Texans’ line that got David Carr killed. Pittsburgh’s line only needs to be squarely in the middle of those two extremes.

14

With less than 5 left the Steelers look like they’re going to lose. Rodgers threw a pick in the end zone, the defense only sporadically showed up, and then there was the STUPIDEST GODDAMN PLAY I HAVE EVER SEEN.

What was that idiot doing? First he touched it, then he gave up on it, and gifted the Chickens a free touchdown. I still can’t believe how stupid that was.

So they could have been, and should have been, 2-0. Instead they’re going to be 1-1 in a very ugly fashion. Unreal.

15

Seachickens peck the Steelers to death.

16

I didn’t understand the Metcalf signing. He’s a fantastic downfield guy, maybe the ultimate size/speed bully. But that’s all he does. He’s the Taylor who needs a Rice.

Pickens is a similar guy but might be able to win at all three levels. He might be a headcase, but at this point it’s traditional for the Steelers to roster crazy wide receivers. And he’s cheaper than Metcalf. So what was the point of signing an older, more expensive guy with a lower ceiling?

17

So Pittsburgh got outplayed statistically in most metrics by the Patriots, but still found a way to win. Creating 5 turnovers will certainly help a team win, but they only won by a touchdown. Throw away two of them, one ended the half and the other left them in bad field position, and you have three that they should have gotten something out of. That continues to be a problem, as does the feast/famine nature of the defense. It’s feels like it’s either a big play for Pittsburgh or a big play for their opponent.

But they won, and with the chaos of this weekend, including the Ratbird loss tonight, the Steelers are in sole possession of first place. And that, friends, is sufficient to the moment. I have my doubts it will last, but for now I’m quite happy.

18

So two weeks ago Pittsburgh played in Ireland and won, putting up a pretty good performance offensively and defensively until the end when it looked like they would blow it. Fortunately they didn’t, so they’re sitting at 3-1 after their bye.

But the rest of the division? Good God. Baltimore is in absolute free fall. I get they have injuries, particularly on defense, but they’re giving up 40 points a game. That’s not just injuries, that’s bad everything. And now their MVP Lamar Jackson is out, though he wasn’t doing well when he wasn’t, and Derrick Henry suddenly looks very old. If the Rats lose this week it would require something virtually unprecedented just to have a shot at the playoffs.

The Bengals are also DOA, as soon as Burrow got hurt they were finished. And the Browns are as they usually are, a dumpster fire.

So all Pittsburgh has to do is not collapse. Easier said than done, of course, and they’re an injury away like every other team, but it looks promising.

So of course they’ll lay down for the Browns today. I hope not, of course, but would it really be a surprise if they did? Pittsburgh needs to absolutely smoke these guys and get a steel grip on the division, get their rivals out of the picture, and handle their business, not futz around and lose to clearly inferior teams like they do.

19

The division is theirs to lose. They might find themselves on top of the worst division in the NFL if things continue as they have been.

20

Third consecutive perfect weekend, which I define as a win (or bye) accompanied by a loss from all division rivals.

I can’t help but wonder if that’s ever happened before. If it has it’s likely the AFC East when the Patriots dominated and the Bills, Dolphins, and Jets were terrible. That doesn’t exactly narrow it down, I know. But I am curious if there’s a way to easily figure that out.