Pittsburgh Steelers Team President Art Rooney II made it clear in his year-end sit down with Bob Pompeani that he is tired of watching his team not win playoff games. The franchise has made it to the postseason in 11 of 17 seasons that Mike Tomlin has been at the helm, but hasn't won a game in the playoffs since the 2016 season. With the urgency to end that streak, General Manager Omar Khan made a low-risk bet on Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson to try and get the franchise back to making a deep run in the postseason.
Jerome Bettis joined The Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday to talk about his view of Wilson signing for his old team and about some of the biggest moves in free agency at the running back position. The Hall of Famer said the move shows the organization has an urgency to regain playoff success.
"I think it makes sense because everybody is on the hot seat," Bettis explained. "It's a must-win scenario and I think Coach Tomlin gets it. He is like, 'Listen, we've got to win tomorrow and this is the best way to do that.'"
Pittsburgh did not get good enough quarterback play from the mix of Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky through the first 14 games of the season. Pickett showed glimpses of promising play again in his second season. In his first game in Vegas against the Las Vegas Raiders, Pickett completed a 72-yard pass to speedster Calvin Austin III to give the team a quick response after the Raiders scored on their second possession. Against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5, he connected with George Pickens for a 41-yard touchdown with 1:17 left in the fourth quarter to put the Steelers ahead 14-10.
Pickett had a challenging season, with few moments of glory. His pocket presence, accuracy, and decision-making abilities were questioned throughout the season, which cast a shadow over his performance. Additionally, injuries plagued his season, with him missing parts of games against the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars. Unfortunately, his 2023 season ended due to an ankle injury sustained during a game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Mason Rudolph got his first chance to start in Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals. He led the team to victory by throwing for 290 yards and two touchdowns. Rudolph supplied another stellar performance against the Seattle Seahawks with 274 yards and a completion percentage of 75%. The third round pick from the 2018 NFL Draft also opened up the deep passing game in a way that neither of his predecessors could.
With quality play from Rudolph, the Steelers unlocked something they hadn't had since Ben Roethlisberger retired. Wilson is certainly removed from being the star he was with the Seattle Seahawks, but had a bit of resurgence in the 2023 season before he was benched for contract reasons. He threw for 3,070 yards and 26 touchdowns, with only eight interceptions. He added 341 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
Where Wilson represents perhaps the biggest upgrade for Pittsburgh is in the red zone. The Steelers had 20 red zone scores in 2023 according to Pro Football Reference. Wilson accounted for 20 passing red zone scores by himself in the 2023 season, which tied him for fourth in the league with Josh Allen.
Steelers Pushing All Their Chips In For 2024
Pittsburgh has been touted for building up a strong defensive unit under Tomlin. Star players like Cam Heyward and TJ Watt have yet to achieve much postseason success. Heyward was part of a playoff win in the 2015 season, but was out with a pectoral injury in 2016 when the team made a run to the AFC Championship. Watt has never been part of a playoff win.
Tomlin said one of the biggest regrets of his career was not getting center Maurkice Pouncey a ring. He also expressed that he'd like to see Heyward get one. Heyward is in the final year of his deal and turns 35 in May.
Wilson is motivated to get back to the Super Bowl and Pittsburgh is inspired to get their defensive stars a chance at competing for one.
Do you agree with Bettis that this feels like a "hot seat" year?
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