Are Steelers Showing Us Who They Really Are?

Are the Steelers showing us who they really are?

Last year, the Steelers fell apart at the end of the season after an improbable run. Is this just an earlier start on the grand reveal? Pittsburgh was somehow 10-3 at one point just a year ago, and even this year, they were 4-1. Now they’ve gone 1-3 in their past four games, albeit against a tougher schedule.

While the Steelers shouldn’t have lost to the Bengals, there’s no shame in losing to the Packers and Chargers. Those are both good teams who are contending for division titles for a reason. But Pittsburgh also played embarrassingly against both of them, the way they fell apart late last year.

Yet this is the same Steelers team that beat the Colts decisively just a week ago. While they relied on some very fortunate goal-line turnovers, they also beat the Patriots earlier this year. And both of those wins were against some of the top teams in the NFL, the latter on the road. So…what’s up with that?

This 2025 Steelers team is one of the most hot-and-cold units we’ve seen in some time, or so it seems. Any given week, it’s hard to predict whether they will thrive or fall on their faces. And it’s not just about whether they win the turnover battle or not. Sometimes they have the run game going, sometimes they can’t stop the run. And they bottled up Jonathan Taylor, so this isn’t just a talent issue.

In theory, of course, the Steelers should be getting better as the season moves on. They added a lot of prominent pieces in the offseason, so they’ll have had more time to jell. As an aside, I hate writing jell and prefer gel, but I digress. Consider this my act of protest.

So, the Steelers can run the ball, and do it quite well—in spurts. The passing game can take off, and just about anybody could have a big day, from DK Metcalf to Darnell Washington. The Steelers can shut down Jonathan Taylor on defense and—well, they haven’t really made a good quarterback look bad yet, I suppose. But they can get after the passer, and they can cause turnovers while protecting the ball. The problem is, they’re usually not doing at least two or three of these things on any given Sunday.

After another disappointing season and months of retooling, the Steelers are set to try it all again in 2025. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.

Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. They settled in on Aaron Rodgers, but we still have a lot to learn about him. The 2025 NFL Draft class could play a big role, but veteran additions like Jalen Ramsey will be paramount.

Now we are in the regular season. From Rodgers to George Pickens to Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ramsey, we’ve seen the Steelers make some big changes. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and figuring out how it all works out.