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2023 Pittsburgh Steelers Predictions with Season Win Total Odds

by Robert Ferringo - 8/9/2023

Pittsburgh Steelers predictions Kenny Pickett

I will be the first to admit that I am a little higher on the Pittsburgh Steelers this season than most football analysts.

Then again, when a team hasn’t had a losing season in almost 20 years, I’m not exactly going out on a limb by predicting that they will be among the top teams in the AFC again this season.

Head coach Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season. The last time the franchise finished below .500 was in 2003. And the Steelers have had a winning record in 19 of the last 23 years.

So rather than me explaining why I like the Steelers this season, I think you should explain to me why you think they won’t finish over .500…again.

Pittsburgh fought and clawed and scrapped and begged and brawled their way to a 9-8 record last season. They also upgraded their roster, through the draft and in free agency, at some key positions this offseason.

I don’t think enough people are taking this team seriously as a contender in both the AFC North and the AFC in general.

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PITTSBURGH STEELERS 2023 OFFENSE

Kenny Pickett should not have been starting last season. Pittsburgh’s offensive line was one of the worst in the league, and it led to Pickett suffering two concussions.

Pickett’s injuries are just another example of why teams should not start rookie quarterbacks.

Assuming Pickett can stay healthy this season, he showed encouraging signs that he can develop into a legit NFL starter. He did throw nine interceptions in 12 games and averaged only 200 passing yards per start. But he also showed enough moxie to be considered The Guy heading into this season.

Second-year pro George Pickens showed flashes of big-time potential last season, including making some eye-popping grabs in traffic. If Pickens makes another leap this year, he could become the lead dog in a receiver room that features slippery Diontae Johnson and savvy veteran Allen Robinson.

Pittsburgh upgraded its offensive line this offseason by peeling Isaac Seumalo away from Philadelphia and using its first draft pick on tackle Broderick Jones. The Steelers are also hoping that free agent pickup Nate Herbig, who has started 28 games the past three years for the Eagles and Jets, can win a starting job.

Here is an incredible stat: the Steelers have not finished in the Top 10 in the NFL in rushing since 2007.

Pittsburgh is known for being one of the roughest, toughest teams in football. I think they need to reestablish their offensive identity on the ground and feed the rock to Najee Harris and Co.

Offensive coordinator Matt Canada is on one of the hottest seats for any assistant in the league. If he can’t find a way to get the ground game going, then he won’t be back for a fourth season – if he even survives this year.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS 2023 DEFENSE

Pittsburgh’s 40 team sacks ranked No. 16 in the league last season. That’s not nearly good enough for a defense that is built around pressuring the quarterback.

Cameron Heyward hasn’t slowed down at age 34, and Pittsburgh saw enough from Larry Ogunjobi to sign him to a three-year contract this offseason. Second round pick Keeanu Benton may be forced into the starting spot at nose tackle, and Pittsburgh’s depth across the line is nonexistent.

The lack of options on the defensive line are a problem.

T.J. Watt remains one of the best players in football at outside linebacker. Running mate Alex Highsmith broke out in his third season, posting a career-high 14.5 sacks and leading the league with five forced fumbles.

Pittsburgh is replacing both of its inside linebackers. They are banking on veteran Elandon Roberts to build on last year’s career-best 107-tackle campaign. And the hope is that Cole Holcomb, who banged out 142 tackles for Washington in 2021, can recover after an injury-shortened 2022.

Old dog Patrick Peterson and young pup Joey Porter Jr., whose father was a Steelers legend, will bring an entirely new feel to Pittsburgh’s secondary. That duo will join stalwart safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and 2022 free agent pickup Levi Wallace in a secondary that led the league with 20 interceptions last season.

Pittsburgh will also need either Damontae Kazee or Keanu Neal, a pair of hard-hitting former Falcons safeties, to step up.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS 2023 SCHEDULE

Week 1: 9/10 vs. San Francisco 49ers, 1 PM, FOX

Week 2: 9/18 vs. Cleveland Browns (Monday), 8:15PM, ABC

Week 3: 9/24 at. Las Vegas Raiders, 8:20 PM, NBC

Week 4: 10/1 at. Houston Texans, 1 PM, CBS

Week 5: 10/8 vs. Baltimore Ravens, 1 PM, CBS

Week 6: BYE WEEK

Week 7: 10/22 at. Los Angeles Rams, 4 PM, FOX

Week 8: 10/29 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 PM, CBS

Week 9: 11/2 vs. Tennessee Titans (Thursday), 8:15 PM, Amazon

Week 10: 11/12 vs. Green Bay Packers, 1 PM, CBS

Week 11: 11/19 at. Cleveland Browns, 1 PM, CBS

Week 12: 11/26 at. Cincinnati Bengals, 1 PM, CBS

Week 13: 12/3 vs. Arizona Cardinals, 1 PM, CBS

Week 14: 12/7 vs. New England Patriots (Thursday), 8:15 PM, Amazon

Week 15: 12/17 at. Indianapolis Colts, TBD, TBD

Week 16: 12/23 vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Saturday), 4:30 PM, NBC

Week 17: 12/31 at. Seattle Seahawks, 4 PM, FOX

Week 18: 1/7 at. Baltimore Ravens, TBD, TBD

PITTSBURGH STEELERS 2023 SEASON PICKS AND PREDICTIONS

The Steelers have been Pythagorean overachievers each of their past two seasons, posting nine wins and winning records in both 2021 and 2022 despite getting outscored in both seasons.

A team beating its PWE by 1.8 wins would normally make me sit up and take notice. The fact that a team has done that two years in a row would have sirens blaring for a regression.

But that’s just kind of what Tomlin’s Steelers do. They have beaten their PWE six times in the last seven years. They are seemingly immune to regression.

That theory will definitely be tested this fall, though. Pittsburgh was No. 1 in the NFL in injury luck last season. They may start three rookies. And if anything happens to the any of the starting 22, this team doesn’t have much depth to plug in and hold the fort.

Pittsburgh had five close wins last season, and this year’s schedule, thanks to playing in the best division in the league, is burdensome.

Pittsburgh’s season win total is set at 8.5. That means that if you take the ‘under’ you are assuming that the Steelers will have their first losing season in two decades. (They have gone 8-8 four times in that 19-year stretch.) That is not a streak I’m willing to bet against, so I’ll jump on the ‘over’ here.

Robert Ferringo has been the top football handicapper in the country the past 13 years, earning nearly $40,000 in total football profit (average profit: +$3,800) between 2010-2019 alone. He has posted 9 of 13 winning seasons (including five of seven winning years) and produced an amazing 64 of 100 winning football months over the past 16 years. Robert has hit at nearly 60 percent winners over his last 1,000 totals picks and has posted 14 of 17 winning Super Bowls. Robert is looking for another winning football year and wants more profit this fall. SIGN UP HERE TODAY AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR 3-FOR-1 FOOTBALL SPECIALS!

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