There are plenty of factors that play into why there’s no better time than the 2020 season for the Pittsburgh Steelers to get one for the other thumb.
The 2021 Steelers won’t be the same
The Steelers will look like a drastically different team next season. Several familiar faces will (likely) no longer be sporting the Black and Gold in 2021. Among potential salary-cap casualties are James Conner, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Bud Dupree, Alejandro Villaneuva and Mike Hilton. Cam Heyward is even in danger of becoming a free agent.
Big Ben has a fire under him
Ben Roethlisberger won’t be any more hungry than he will be in 2020. He’s coming off a severe injury that kept him watching teammates play from the sidelines. Big Ben has plenty of doubters as to whether he can return to form — what better way than to show them up with a Super Bowl win?
Roethlisberger said this week that he has some “really good” years in him but, let’s be realistic; even the most elite quarterbacks have started to show the effect of age (ahem, Tom Brady).
“I’m not saying that I have 10 years left in me, but I definitely feel like I’ve got some really good years in me,” Roethlisberger said on Monday. “That was definitely a motivating factor, coming back and showing I still have it in the tank. I still have a lot to give this team. I still have a lot to give to fans. I still want to win Lombardis. I say that with a plural on the end.”
If Ben wants to win multiple Super Bowls, he’d best start right away. His current contract expires after next season, the offensive line isn’t getting any younger, and the defense is stacked for a limited time.
Easy schedule?
According to 2019 win-loss records, the Steelers have a pretty cake schedule ahead of them. That needs to be taken advantage of. The Steelers had one of the toughest schedules in 2019 and 2018, and they missed the playoffs both seasons.
The AFC North will only get tougher
After years of ho-hum Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and even Baltimore Ravens teams, the AFC North is about to get more competitive. Their quarterbacks are all 25 and younger. Lamar Jackson already has MPV written all over him. I doubt we’ve seen the best Baker Mayfield has to offer. And rookie Joe Burrow aims to continue is winning ways. We may even see the division turn out to be one of the best in the league in the next season or two.
The last time the Steelers played in the Super Bowl was in 2011 versus the Green Bay Packers. Personally, I erased it from my memory and had to look it up.
It’s been nearly a decade. The Steelers need to bring back another Lombardi trophy to Pittsburgh, and there’s no better time than 2020. The window is closing, and who knows when it’ll open up again.
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