Jan 19, 2024 5 min read

By Dale Lolley

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

You can look at the 2023 Steelers season in several different ways.

The ending, though not unexpected – they were, after all, 10-point underdogs at Buffalo in their AFC Super Wild Card game – was certainly disappointing.

The Steelers made mistakes early and fell behind 21-0, making predictions of a blowout seem realistic.

However, the Steelers fought back to pull within 24-17 with 10 minutes remaining.

The Bills would go on to add another touchdown that made things appear a little more lopsided, but after the initial flurry when the Steelers turned the ball over twice, the game was more even than the final score suggests.

In that regard, the season could be looked at as something of a success. Yes, the Steelers didn’t win the Super Bowl – only one team gets to do that – but they went 10-7 in the regular season. They went 8-5 against teams that finished with a winning record. Only the Baltimore Ravens with 10 wins against teams with winning records, and the San Francisco 49ers, who went 8-4 in such games, were better.

They also went 5-3 against playoff teams, including sweeping the Ravens, who they have now beaten in seven of their past eight meetings.

And they did that because of the depth they built in the offseason through free agency and the draft.

This team was as deep as any Steelers team in recent history. And when playing a 17-game schedule, depth is crucial.

It’s a formula the Steelers should continue to try to mimic. And it’s possible because their quarterback position remains cheap by NFL standards.

It won’t be incredibly expensive in 2024, either. Head coach Mike Tomlin all but said at his season-ending press conference Thursday that the Steelers won’t be jumping into the market for a free agent such as Kirk Cousins or Russell Wilson. And it seems unlikely they would be interested in trading for Chicago’s Justin Fields, if he becomes available.

• What this team does at quarterback will be one of the big questions of this offseason.

Mason Rudolph was a revelation down the stretch, throwing for 945 yards and five touchdowns with one interception in his four starts.

But Kenny Pickett remains the leading bet to be the quarterback in 2024. The 2022 first-round draft pick is at a crossroads, however. If he doesn’t improve his overall numbers in 2024, then the Steelers will be back in the quarterback market.

As for Rudolph, Tomlin said he wants Rudolph back as competition for Pickett. He won’t come as cheaply as he did this season, when he was making the veteran minimum, but it’s unlikely any other team will offer him a starting opportunity.

• Tomlin said he’ll hire a veteran NFL offensive coordinator from outside the organization, making that priority No. 1 for the offseason.

That’s probably the way to go. This team is still extremely young on offense, and could get even younger in the draft – you have to figure a team that averaged 17.9 points per game would add on that side of the ball in the draft.

A young, dynamic coordinator would be nice, but the Steelers don’t have room for growing pains. They need some stability to give their quarterback – whoever that may be – the best chance to succeed.

• Tomlin was never going anywhere. There was never any doubt that he would be the coach of the Steelers in 2024, regardless of what the speculation happened to be.

The man’s a football coach. It’s in his blood. A contract extension will be the next step for the Steelers and Tomlin.

• On his podcast Thursday, 34-year-old defensive lineman Cam Heyward said he’s not retiring. He wants to play again in 2024.

Of course, Heyward was asked immediately after the Steelers’ 34-17 playoff loss to the Bills if he was done. And he was asked again two days later.

The same questions were posed to Tomlin in the aftermath of that game.

Apparently, some people expect immediate answers to life-changing questions. Things don’t work that way. Believe it not, these guys are human beings. And they don’t want to answer long-term questions such as those in the minutes or even hours after a season-ending loss.

This week’s games

Texans (plus 9) at Ravens: These teams met in Week 1 and the Ravens dominated that game, winning, 25-9. But the score was 7-6 at halftime in favor of the Ravens. And that was the first game for Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans. The Ravens are rested, but we’ll take the nine points. Take the Texans to cover in a 26-20 loss.

Packers (plus 9½) at 49ers: What the Packers did last weekend to the Cowboys was impressive, but the 49ers are not the cheesy soft team from Dallas. San Francisco is completely healthy for this one. Christian McCaffery will be a handful. Take the 49ers, 31-17.

Buccaneers (plus 6) at Lions: The Lions earned their first playoff win since the early 1990s by holding off the Rams. The Bucs blew out the Eagles. But just about any team in the league would have blown out Philadelphia last week. The Eagles had packed it in. Detroit will end Baker Mayfield’s run. Take the Lions, 27-20.

Chiefs (plus 3) at Bills: Patrick Mahomes has never played a road playoff game. Josh Allen is 5-1 in home playoff games. The Bills won in Kansas City, 20-17, earlier this season. They lost some key players in the win over the Steelers, including linebacker Terrel Bernard and cornerback Taron Johnson, but Allen has more at his disposal than Mahomes. Take the Bills, 24-17.

Last week: 5-1 ATS; 4-2 straight up

Overall: 56-36-3 ATS; 62-33 straight up

Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.