The Pittsburgh Steelers ended their regular season on a high note by defeating their bitter AFC North rivals, the Baltimore Ravens. If that was going to be the final game of Ben Roethlisberger’s career, he was going to go out as a winner, sweeping their rivals.
But, something unexpected happened. The Indianapolis Colts, who were in a win and you’re in scenario, inexplicably lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars. That cost them a spot in the postseason, opening the door for the Steelers.
The Steelers barged right through that door after the Las Vegas Raiders defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in overtime. Had that game ended in a tie, both the Raiders and Chargers would have qualified for the postseason, eliminating the Steelers.
Pittsburgh will now be traveling to take on the Kansas City Chiefs, a team that destroyed the Steelers back in Week 16, 36-10. The Chiefs held a 30-0 lead midway through the third quarter.
Roethlisberger and the Steelers are hopeful they can be more competitive this time around. It will be the third time they face off against Patrick Mahomes, with the first two meetings not being very competitive.
Pittsburgh is seeing firsthand what it had the luxury of having in the past; what a great quarterback can do for a team. With this likely being the last season Roethlisberger will be under center for the black and gold, they have to figure out what to do next at the quarterback position.
When taking a look at the roster, this is a team ready to compete for a championship. That is why a player such as Russell Wilson would make for a perfect trade target. Wilson has championship experience and could be the missing piece for a Steelers team that could be a quarterback away from truly contending.
The Seahawks and Wilson sound like they are on the same page more now than they were heading into this season. If their issues are resolved, he won’t be going anywhere. But, that shouldn’t deter the Steelers from checking in on his availability.
No one provides a list of teams that would like to be traded to unless they are having some serious thoughts about moving on. Pittsburgh was absent from that list, as the New York Giants, Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears have all been linked to him.
A reason the Steelers don’t appeal to Wilson is reportedly their market. Wilson values his celebrity status and wouldn’t want to play in Pittsburgh, preferring a bigger market. If that is true, he could be passing up on an excellent opportunity to compete for a Super Bowl once again.
The Steelers’ offense is loaded with weapons in running back Najee Harris, wide receivers Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool, and tight end Pat Friermuth. The offensive line still needs some work, which will also be a focus of the offseason and Pittsburgh will have the cap space to make some upgrades.
Defensively, Pittsburgh has stars everywhere. T.J. Watt is a premier pass rusher. Cam Heyward is still an excellent player on the defensive line. Minkah Fitzpatrick is a star in the secondary, while Joe Haden can still more than hold his own at cornerback.
While Pittsburgh did struggle against the run this season, the defense did just enough to carry the offense into the postseason. If they could get a quarterback such as Wilson to match the defense’s explosiveness and big-play ability, the Steelers could be in business.
Pittsburgh is a lot closer to competing for a title than the Seahawks are. If Wilson decides he wants a change of scenery but doesn’t consider the Steelers, he could very well see another veteran, maybe Deshaun Watson or Aaron Rodgers, take over the starting quarterback spot and be in a position to win and compete right away.
