AFCN Title; Vegas Not A Believer

[NorthCoast]

Predicts a last place finish for Steeltown:

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I also noticed that FanDuel has no prop bets for Steelers' QB for total yards and total TDs. I guess they are not sure who the starter will be.

[Northern_Blitz]

I think I'd put us 3rd...maybe even with CLE.

But we also have the biggest uncertainty with the overhaul on the offense.

I wouldn't put money on us winning the division (despite our division record over the last 8 years being 3rd to KC and DAL).

But I would be that we won't be 4th in the division.

I think a more interesting question might be: Do you think we're more likely to finish in 1st or 4th in the division? And it's something that you could ask for all the teams. I'd say BAL and CIN are more likely to be 1st than 4th. And PIT and CLE are more likely to be 4th than 1st.

[Shawn]

I have never been more confident that Vegas is wrong on this one. 11-6. Whatever that gets us in the division.

[WindyCitySteel]

The overhaul on offense is exactly why Vegas should be bullish on the Steelers, it's been objectively horrible for years now.

[NorthCoast]

The overhaul on offense is exactly why Vegas should be bullish on the Steelers, it's been objectively horrible for years now.

Sure. But the question still remains is it enough to leapfrog the offenses in the North? Browns grabbed Jerry Jeudy, Chubb is returning, BAL has Andrews returning from injury and Henry is still a weapon, CIN has Burrow returning from injury and have beefed up their OL. So it's not like the other guys have stood still.

[Flasteel]

The overhaul on offense is exactly why Vegas should be bullish on the Steelers, it's been objectively horrible for years now.

Agreed. There is no possible way I see the Steelers offense as bad as it's been the last several years. There is nowhere to go but up and I personally think we'll see a substantial improvement on that side of the ball. The Steelers have dominated the division over the past several years while also dealing with their share of injuries. All of these teams are close, however, so it could simply come down to which team can stay the healthiest.

Despite the tough schedule down the stretch, I like this team to continue dominating their AFC North opponents and win the division. And yes, I do own a nice set of black and gold goggles that I view the world through.

[T.Ferguson]

The overhaul on offense is exactly why Vegas should be bullish on the Steelers, it's been objectively horrible for years now.

It's still a big question mark whether this overhaul is going to pan out. Just in general watching the Steelers play, the team hardly ever looks impressive in recent years, even the defense when it matters often comes up short. Wins are often a combination of bad play by the other team (like when Chubb was injured and Watson looked like he couldn't complete a pass for some reason, Lamar throwing an awful pass in the end zone for an INT) or just a bad team, key injuries (Burrow, Chubb, etc.) Watt playing out of his mind, weird/lucky bounces, etc. To put it simply a lot of unimpressive and at times fluky wins that goes beyond just a bad Steelers offense.

And I get the above happens to all teams but this seems to be the case most of the time with the Steelers, the team itself never really impresses that much (outside of Watt's play) imo and that's a problem and I think this was really evident last season in particular.

[WindyCitySteel]

Sure. But the question still remains is it enough to leapfrog the offenses in the North? Browns grabbed Jerry Jeudy, Chubb is returning, BAL has Andrews returning from injury and Henry is still a weapon, CIN has Burrow returning from injury and have beefed up their OL. So it's not like the other guys have stood still.

Cin and Bal should be favorites, not buying Cleveland. Watson is never getting back to his 2020 form, IMO, and their D was miserable on the road last year -- 32nd, 1st at home. I wonder if they have some kind of sign stealing scheme at home or something, that is likely unprecedented.

[Chucktownsteeler]

Cin and Bal should be favorites, not buying Cleveland. Watson is never getting back to his 2020 form, IMO, and their D was miserable on the road last year -- 32nd, 1st at home. I wonder if they have some kind of sign stealing scheme at home or something, that is likely unprecedented.

Is this verified? Seems unlikely.

[Captain Lemming]

Cin and Bal should be favorites, not buying Cleveland. Watson is never getting back to his 2020 form, IMO, and their D was miserable on the road last year -- 32nd, 1st at home. I wonder if they have some kind of sign stealing scheme at home or something, that is likely unprecedented.

Crazy talk there. They have MYLES GARRETT. He is SO GOOD that he can outplay a Steeler defender who created TWO turnovers and accounted for 14 points WITHOUT PRODUCING ANY STATS OF NOTE.

Garrett has the kind of impact on the game that only the most knowledgeable fan can grasp.

Sure Highsmiths play was literally the difference between winning and losing but Garrett was a beast at beating his blocker repeatedly without making a play.

With such a great player who need not touch a player to impact a game how could you think we could overcome his invisible relentlessness.

[Mr.wizard]

Who cares, they predict us to finish last in the division every year. Also if you look at the Steelers versus Vegas on projected win totals over the past 10 years the Steelers are 7-3, best in the NFL.

[NorthCoast]

It's still a big question mark whether this overhaul is going to pan out. Just in general watching the Steelers play, the team hardly ever looks impressive in recent years, even the defense when it matters often comes up short. Wins are often a combination of bad play by the other team (like when Chubb was injured and Watson looked like he couldn't complete a pass for some reason, Lamar throwing an awful pass in the end zone for an INT) or just a bad team, key injuries (Burrow, Chubb, etc.) Watt playing out of his mind, weird/lucky bounces, etc. To put it simply a lot of unimpressive and at times fluky wins that goes beyond just a bad Steelers offense.

And I get the above happens to all teams but this seems to be the case most of the time with the Steelers, the team itself never really impresses that much (outside of Watt's play) imo and that's a problem and I think this was really evident last season in particular.

Excellent point. It seems most NFL games are lost with bad play than they are won with good play.

Haven't looked at it but I am guessing the win margins across the league have narrowed in the last half decade as parity dominates.

[Northern_Blitz]

Who cares, they predict us to finish last in the division every year. Also if you look at the Steelers versus Vegas on projected win totals over the past 10 years the Steelers are 7-3, best in the NFL.

Terrible coaching, obviously

[WindyCitySteel]

Terrible coaching, obviously

This is where Tomlin's system is good to get to a base 8 wins. Unfortunately, it ends shortly after that. You can't hide the offense and win a Super Bowl anymore, heck we can's stay within one score of the good teams in the playoffs doing that.

[WindyCitySteel]

It's still a big question mark whether this overhaul is going to pan out. Just in general watching the Steelers play, the team hardly ever looks impressive in recent years, even the defense when it matters often comes up short. Wins are often a combination of bad play by the other team (like when Chubb was injured and Watson looked like he couldn't complete a pass for some reason, Lamar throwing an awful pass in the end zone for an INT) or just a bad team, key injuries (Burrow, Chubb, etc.) Watt playing out of his mind, weird/lucky bounces, etc. To put it simply a lot of unimpressive and at times fluky wins that goes beyond just a bad Steelers offense.

And I get the above happens to all teams but this seems to be the case most of the time with the Steelers, the team itself never really impresses that much (outside of Watt's play) imo and that's a problem and I think this was really evident last season in particular.

This is the Tomlin system -- let teams beat themselves while avoiding the same. Good enough for 8 wins a year minimum, will never win a playoff game, let alone a championship.

Eventually the other team will be too good to beat themselves and you'll find yourself down by 2-3 scores and ask your O to do something they're not equipped for. But, it was a non-losing season, so "great coaching".

I love the SteelersDepot TOX stats -- Turnovers plus eXplosive plays are often the determining factor in winning football games, the Steelers only seem to want to solve half that puzzle.