Steelers The Victim Of Condemning Statement Amidst Quarterback Uncertainty

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the more confusing teams in the NFL heading into the 2025 season. The current starting quarterback on the roster is Mason Rudolph, while the organization also selected Will Howard in the sixth-round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Neither player should be relied upon to start 17 regular season games, but the franchise continues to wait on a decision from veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers would give Pittsburgh its best chance to win, but the Steelers still would not be viewed as a serious competitor in the AFC.

The Steelers are a team that wants to win and contend for a Super Bowl, but many members of the media and the fan base believes the team needs to commit to a rebuild. It is hard to win in the NFL without a franchise quarterback, and the Steelers have not had one of those since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season. 

The outlook of Pittsburgh's season does not look great based on the quarterback position paired with the toughness of the schedule. Jason McIntyre is a talking head on Colin Cowherd's show The Herd, and he doesn't think Pittsburgh has any chance of making the postseason.

"This Steelers schedule is not good, I'm not going out on a limb here, they ain't making the playoffs." McIntyre said. "I don't care if [Aaron] Rodgers shows up, I don't care if Tom Brady suits up. They're not making the playoffs."

This isn't necessarily a hot take, as the Steelers schedule is that of a team that finished in second place in its division in 2024, but the roster doesn't match that label. The quarterback position alone is the teams biggest issue, but McIntyre does not believe Rodgers would change much for Pittsburgh. Not even prime Tom Brady could come in and save the team, which says a lot about the rest of the roster.

Pittsburgh will be taking on six teams that made the playoffs during the 2024 season, including the Baltimore Ravens twice. The AFC North will be one of the toughest divisions in the league, and there is no reason to believe the Cincinnati Bengals will be as bad as they were during the 2024 season. The offense for the Bengals is one of the best in the league, and as long as the defense takes a small step forward there is no reason to believe they won't be making the postseason.

The Steelers will also be taking on the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions. Those were three of the best teams in the NFC in 2024, and there is a chance the Steelers could go 0-3 against that group. 

Pittsburgh will also take on another difficult stretch to end the season as the group will play tough in-division contests, as well as games against Detroit and the Buffalo Bills. This will make it difficult to punch a ticket to the postseason, which means McIntyre might be right in his assessment of the Steelers.

Steelers' Tomlin Has His Work Cut Out For Him

Coaching this roster to the postseason in 2025 might be Head Coach Mike Tomlin's best coaching job if he can make it happen. That will especially be true if Rodgers does not end up playing in Pittsburgh and the Steelers have to move forward with someone else at quarterback. 

The schedule is difficult, and Pittsburgh proved in 2024 that the roster is not as good as some thought it might be. Many fans will just be looking forward to seeing younger players play well, while thinking about potentially drafting a franchise quarterback in 2026.