ESPN analyst points out a concerning reason why he thinks Steelers will have a losing season in 2022
ESPN's Bill Barnwell isn't feeling very confident about the Pittsburgh Steelers keeping their streak of non-losing seasons (which dates back to 2003) going in 2022. Barnwell highlighted the Steelers as one of five NFL teams that could decline this season. "Tomlin is one of the best coaches in all of football," wrote Barnwell. "I take […]
ESPN's Bill Barnwell isn't feeling very confident about the Pittsburgh Steelers keeping their streak of non-losing seasons (which dates back to 2003) going in 2022.
Barnwell highlighted the Steelers as one of five NFL teams that could decline this season.
"Tomlin is one of the best coaches in all of football," wrote Barnwell. "I take no joy in expecting the Steelers to break his streak in 2022, but this team has major questions on both sides of the ball."
There are a couple of reasons why Barnwell thinks the Steelers will suffer a losing season in 2022. One of the main reasons is the Steelers' record in one-score games. Pittsburgh was 7-1-1 in those games last season, something that Barnwell doesn't think is sustainable.
From ESPN:
The Steelers deserve credit for how they played, and there's certainly no shame in beating the Bills and Titans, but there are several narrow victories over middling or injury-impacted teams on that list. They needed every one of those breaks to go their way to eventually make it to the postseason, where Roethlisberger quickly had his career ended by the Chiefs. Kicker Chris Boswellhit six field goals in the fourth quarter to give Pittsburgh a lead, trailing only Vegas' Carlson in that category.
If you include the postseason loss, the Steelers were 2-7 against teams that would eventually finish with a winning record, with those opponents outscoring them by more than 11 points per game. They survived by going 7-1-1 against sub-.500 teams, and while the wins count just the same when you beat the teams you're supposed to beat, they only were narrowly pulling out those contests. They outscored those teams by an average of 2.9 points per game.
I understand where Barnwell is coming from, but I don't think we can look at what the Steelers did in one-score games last season and use it to predict what will happen this season.
This is a different team. Sure, there are legitimate concerns — like the offensive line and the quarterback position. But this team finds a way to win with Mike Tomlin. He's the X-factor. He's had plenty of teams that should've been in the cellar that ended up having solid seasons.
As long as Tomlin's in town, I'm not betting on the Steelers to have a losing season. He's shown us plenty of the last decade and a half. And he's shown us that he'll find a way to win. Even when it seems like he can't, he somehow will.
Featured image via Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
