{"id":6896,"date":"2024-11-07T15:13:28","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T15:13:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotnews.azontree.com\/?p=6896"},"modified":"2024-11-07T15:13:28","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T15:13:28","slug":"ben-roethlisberger-gets-brutally-honest-about-steelers-afc-status","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotnews.azontree.com\/?p=6896","title":{"rendered":"Ben Roethlisberger gets brutally honest about Steelers\u2019 AFC status.."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/ybmedia\/image\/upload\/c_crop,h_675,w_1200,x_0,y_0\/c_fill,f_auto,h_900,q_auto,w_1600\/v1\/m\/b\/3\/b3fb9e81553c5bcb6df3233ad87bd07a0618acce\/Ben-Roethlisberger-gets-brutally-honest-about-Pittsburghs-AFC-status.jpg\" alt=\"Ben Roethlisberger gets brutally honest about Steelers\u2019 AFC status\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the pleasant surprises of the 2024 season. The team went in a completely new direction at quarterback this year, moving on from former first round pick Kenny Pickett and bringing in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. With Wilson sidelined by a calf injury, Fields led the team to a 4-2 record. After head coach Mike Tomlin\u00a0tapped Wilson to start at QB, the team kept on winning.<\/p>\n<p>Now 6-2 and in first place in the AFC North, the Steelers appear to be legitimate contenders. But not everyone is a believer. Former Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger\u00a0has some doubts\u00a0about his old squad. \u201cI can\u2019t put the Steelers in the same category as Baltimore or the Bills yet,\u201d Roethlisberger said, per Troy Montgomery of Steelers Depot.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ac_93445976\" class=\"article_chunk type_50\">\n<div class=\"froala-view custom-theme first_text_block\">\n<p>\u201cThey need to go out in this next stretch of games where they have Washington coming in, and I think it\u2019s Baltimore\u2026 They have a stretch where if they go out and show that they can beat these teams, these true contenders\u2026 if they can go show that they belong, I\u2019ll move them up my list. But right now, I have them at four or five in the AFC,\u201d Roethlisberger added.<\/p>\n<p>The Steelers take on the surprisingly strong Washington Commanders, led by rookie QB Jayden Daniels, in Week 10. In Week 11, Pittsburgh will play the Ravens, kicking off four straight divisional matchups. The next two weeks should provide a better understanding of the Steelers\u2019 status in the AFC. Pittsburgh is on a three-game winning streak but those victories have come against the Las Vegas Raiders, the New York Jets and the New York Giants \u2013 not exactly a murderers\u2019 row of NFL talent.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Can Russell Wilson make the Steelers contenders?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"ac_93445977\" class=\"article_chunk type_51\">\n<div class=\"remote_image_container\"><center><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.clutchpoints.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Russell-Wilson_be9211.jpg\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<div class=\"remote_image_caption\">Oct 28, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looks to pass against the New York Giants during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium.\u00a0Barry Reeger-Imagn Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"ac_93445978\" class=\"article_chunk type_50\">\n<div class=\"froala-view custom-theme \">\n<p>Much of the Steelers\u2019 success this season will come down to Wilson\u2019s play. The team struggled with its decision to change starting quarterbacks. When Wilson was finally healthy, the\u00a0Steelers didn\u2019t appear ready to move on from Fields. But ultimately Tomlin made the call and Wilson has been better than expected. He even\u00a0set a franchise record for passing yardage\u00a0over a quarterback\u2019s first two starts.<\/p>\n<p>Still, it\u2019s hard to forget the shell of Wilson that was on display during two forgettable seasons with the Denver Broncos. If Wilson can return to his Pro Bowl form, the team is capable of making a postseason run. However, with Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen all competing within the conference, Pittsburgh can\u2019t afford a drop off at quarterback.<\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0Steelers landed Mike Williams in a trade\u00a0with the Jets, adding much needed depth at receiver behind George Pickens. While Williams didn\u2019t pan out with New York, he\u2019s the perfect number two receiver for Wilson. Williams built a reputation as one of the league\u2019s top contested catch receivers during his seven years with the Chargers. Perhaps his addition to the WR corps will elevate the offense.<\/p>\n<p>The Steelers have an opportunity to make a statement on Sunday when the team heads to Washington to play the 7-2 Commanders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the pleasant surprises of the 2024 season. The team went in a completely new direction at quarterback this year, moving&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6897,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ben Roethlisberger gets brutally honest about Steelers\u2019 AFC status.. - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hotnews.azontree.com\/?p=6896\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ben Roethlisberger gets brutally honest about Steelers\u2019 AFC status.. - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the pleasant surprises of the 2024 season. 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