The Arena podcast<\/a>, longtime sports analyst and former ESPN and FS1 personality Skip Bayless made it clear that he doesn\u2019t believe Pittsburgh will return to the postseason this year.<\/p>\nBayless pointed to the Steelers\u2019 late-season struggles and disappointing playoff performance as reasons for his skepticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey stumbled into the backdoor of the playoffs thanks to a missed 40-yard field goal by the Baltimore Ravens,\u201d Bayless said. \u201cAnd they lost at home 30-6, and Aaron Rodgers stunk in that game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bayless also questioned whether Pittsburgh has done enough to keep pace in what many consider one of the NFL\u2019s toughest divisions.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now you\u2019re telling me they\u2019re just gonna magically be back in the playoffs in that division?\u201d Bayless asked. \u201cThe Bengals are going to be way better. The Ravens are going to be way, WAY better. And the Steelers are the odd man out.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a sentiment that has become increasingly common among national analysts this offseason. Despite Pittsburgh making several notable moves, including adding veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers and acquiring wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to pair with DK Metcalf, many projections have the Steelers finishing third in the AFC North.<\/p>\n
Much of the optimism surrounding the division centers on Cincinnati. The Bengals have been a popular breakout pick after addressing defensive concerns and adding star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. However, predictions of a Bengals resurgence have become an annual offseason tradition, and the results have not always matched the hype.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Baltimore remains the division favorite in many circles. The Ravens spent the offseason reshaping portions of their coaching staff and are expected to once again contend for the AFC North crown after another strong season.<\/p>\n
For Pittsburgh, the challenge will be proving the doubters wrong. The Steelers have heard plenty of criticism throughout the offseason, particularly after their one-and-done playoff appearance a year ago. Now, with Rodgers returning for what could be his final NFL season and a revamped offense around him, they\u2019ll have an opportunity to show that national projections don\u2019t always tell the full story.<\/p>\n
Whether Bayless is right remains to be seen, but for now, the Steelers continue to be viewed by many outside Pittsburgh as the third-best team in their own division.<\/p>\n
Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Add another national media skeptic to the growing list of doubters surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers entering the 2026…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":924333,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2055],"tags":[7,6,520,57,6416,2374,2360,426],"class_list":["post-924332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-football","tag-nfl","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-pittsburgh-steelers-commentary","tag-pittsburgh-steelers-news","tag-pittsburghsteelers","tag-steelers"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116784735395765067","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=924332"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/924332\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/924333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=924332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=924332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=924332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}