Steelers 2021 Season Preview
Looking for 2021 Pittsburgh Steelers Predictions? Pittsburgh is hard to peg coming into the 2021 season. Last year they were 11-0 before stumbling down the stretch and losing the Browns in the playoffs.
Big Ben is another year older and perhaps this team is past its prime in terms of being a Super Bowl contender. They have made moves to address their weaknesses though and this is one of the best organizations in the league.
As long as their defense remains elite they should be able to win their fair share of football games. Maybe the QB still has a few big games left in that battered body.
NFL Steelers Predictions & Handicapping Insight
2021/22 NFL Team Predictions – Pittsburgh Steelers
- Steelers 2021 Win Total NFL Odds: 8.5 (Over +115/Under -135)
- Pittsburgh SteelersAFC North Odds: +500
- Pittsburgh Steelers AFC Championship Odds: +2000
- Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 Super Bowl Odds: +4500
Key Additions:
- OG Trai Turner
The Steelers surprised many folks when they cut David DeCastro but it was mostly a salary cap move. They seem to have found his replacement in the form of veteran Trai Turner.
Key Losses:
- RB James Conner
- LB Bud Dupree
- C Maurkice Pouncey
The drafting of Najee Harris in the first round made James Conner obsolete. It looks like an upgrade too.
Dupree has been a productive member of the defense for years. It just didn’t make sense to break the bank to keep him.
Pouncey was a reliable member of the offensive line for a long time. Moving on was not a shock but they are replacing him with a rookie so there is some risk there.
2021 Pittsburgh Steelers Predictions: Offseason Analysis
Things look pretty good when you win 11 games to start a season. A 1-4 finish and a loss to the Browns in the playoffs is not such a good look though.
As they look to a better ending to the season the Steelers went heavy on offense. They drafted offensive players with their first four picks and ok for two of them to start. Harris is the key. Can he be the all around threat the Steelers have missed since Le’veon Bell exited?
The defense is in good shape after finishing 3rd in points and yards allowed. The key to that group is the pressure they put on quarterbacks. They were first in the NFL in sacks last season thanks to TJ Watt leading the league with 15. Lineman Stephon Tuitt had 11. Both players are in their prime but we will see if the absence of Dupree has a network effect.
All that pressure helped the Steelers lead the NFL interceptions too. Turnovers are hard to predict from year to year but if the defense is still putting the pressure on opposing QBs it is easy to see the takeaways following.
Ben Roethlisberger had a solid season last year. He has injury history and is not getting any younger. They have good weapons for him but they really want to improve on the running game which was last in the NFL a year ago. To take some of the pressure off.
Pittsburgh is a good team but they look like the third best team in the AFC North coming into the season. It is hard to have super lofty expectations for them given that positioning.
2021 Pittsburgh Steelers Win Total Prediction:
Even with an extra game to do so I don’t see the Steelers matching last year’s win total of 12.
Pittsburgh has a tough schedule, especially late in the season where five of their last six opponents won 11 or more games a year ago.
The final eight games are where the schedule stiffens including back-to-back games against Baltimore with their bye week in between. Trips to New England and Green Bay could be losses for sure.
Starting the season at Buffalo looks like a loss, though it should be very entertaining. As does a trip to Green Bay to start October now that Aaron Rodgers is still in the mix.
Pittsburgh is going to have to be pretty much perfect at home if they want to be above .500 and in the hunt in the division and the AFC. That is very tough with teams like Seattle and Tennessee visiting, plus emerging teams like San Diego and Denver on the home slate.
I think the Steelers are going to compete hard this season, they always do, but nothing is going to come easy and they are going to have a tough time getting the wins they did last year. I see nine at most.
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