Answering the NFL’s biggest questions heading into Week 11: Examining the Steelers as Super Bowl contenders – Blogging Sole

Last week I made the case that Matt Eberflus should be the next fired head coach. Sunday, its Chicago Bear came out and lost, 19-3, to the lowly New England Patriots. This was the easiest remaining opponent on the Bears’ schedule, and firing Shane Waldron won’t fix everything. So our friends in the Windy City need to buckle down for what could be a very difficult end to the season.

There were other surprising results from the NFL during week 10. The Kansas City Chiefs needed a blocked basket at the buzzer to remain undefeated, Dennis Allen without New Orleans Saints upset Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons And Russell Wilson leads the Pittsburgh Steelers to yet another victory.

Speaking of the Steelers, are they legitimate contenders? Defeat Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders is an impressive feat. Let us examine their case as Super Bowl prospects, then we’ll talk about the race for the best quarterbacks in 2025 NFL Draft.

Are the Steelers Super Bowl suitors?

The Steelers won their fourth straight game after losing two straight, and they are averaging 30.8 points per game over those four wins. The biggest change the Steelers have made, of course, is at quarterback, as Russell Wilson finds success. He is a better passer on the ground than Justin Fields and unlocked George Pickens.

I didn’t care about the victories against the New York Jets And New York Giantsbut defeating the commanders made me raise my eyebrows. Here are some of my big takeaways from this game:

• The Steelers looked like they were going to lose this game. After all, they were down double digits in the third quarter. Pittsburgh had already lost eight straight games while trailing by double digits in the second half. Sunday was different.
• The Steelers are now 4-1 on the road. Only the Detroit Lions have won more road games this season.
• Jaylen Warren was a breath of fresh air with 66 rushing yards on 14 carries.
• Wilson wasn’t consistent with some ugly moonballs, but he succeeded when it mattered most with the TD pass to Mike Williams.
• The defense impressed again, limiting Daniels to 17 of 34 passes. That 50% completion percentage was the worst of his young career, and the 34 pass attempts were his most without a touchdown pass. Washington also went 5 of 14 on third downs and failed on its only fourth down attempt – which sealed the game.

The Steelers are now 7-2 and Wilson is undefeated as a starter. The question must be asked: are the Steelers Super Bowl suitors? Let’s take a look at some numbers from our simulations, but first, here’s the Steelers’ remaining schedule:

Steelers remaining schedule

Beating Washington was one thing, but heartbreaking Lamar Jackson and the Ravens this week would be another. According to SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh, the Steelers should hit around .500 in their remaining eight games. He gives them an expected mark of 4.1-3.9, bringing Pittsburgh’s win total to 11.1. Only three AFC teams should finish with more wins, including their rival Ravens.

Now, could the Steelers actually pose real threats to teams like the Chiefs, Lions and Buffalo Bills? Here is what our simulations say:

Steelers playoff chances

What’s interesting about these numbers is that the simulations indicate that Pittsburgh has a 64.5% chance of losing its lead in the AFC North. Making the playoffs is a virtual lock, but the Steelers only have a 3.6% chance of winning the Super Bowl. There are six teams that have a better chance of winning it all, including the Commanders, who the Steelers just beat, and the Eagles.

The Steelers have an incredible defense and Wilson has brought some consistency on the offensive end. They’re a good team, but I don’t think we can call them “Super Bowl contenders.” Pittsburgh has started four different seasons 7-2 or better under Mike Tomlin. They haven’t won a playoff game in the previous three instances.

Who is pretty for the best QB in the draft?

We’ve talked about “the race for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft” before, but I’m much more interested in teams in need of quarterbacks. at the top of the project orderand who they might end up selecting.

If the season ended today, Jacksonville Jaguars would hold the first pick. they just signed Trevor Lawrence to a record contract, so they probably aren’t drafting a quarterback. They could draft another position or trade that top pick to another interested team. Behind the Jaguars are a few quarterback-needy teams.

Let’s take a look at CBS Sports NFL Draft the most recent mock version from expert Chris Trapasso, released Wednesday.

The latest simulated version of Trapasso

It’s very early in the “drafting process”, so mock drafts will change drastically by March. But right now, Trapasso has three quarterbacks in the top five. However, there are FOUR teams in need of top-five quarterbacks.

Interestingly, Trapasso is asking the Titans to pass up a quarterback with their first pick, as they will surely do their due diligence on signal-callers after Will Levis“2024 campaign. I also found it interesting that Milroe went after Ward, who might be my favorite college quarterback this year. The Washington State transfer currently leads all conferences in passing yards. passing touchdowns (3,494) and passing touchdowns (32), with only six interceptions.

Keep an eye on the Giants, Titans, Browns and Raiders as we get closer to the end of the regular season. Which team can “outperform” the others?