This past offseason was one of change for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but also one of norms as it pertains to the expectations placed upon them by those outside the 412 area code. Every year, we do this same rinse and repeat exercise – everyone says this will be the season the Steelers struggle and lose a bunch of games, they overcome those expectations, and the cycle starts again the following March. That said, there was a lot more to talk about with the Steelers this spring.

They signed Russell Wilson. They traded for Justin Fields. They traded away the likes of Kenny Pickett and Diontae Johnson. The Steelers were rinsing their hands of all the dirt in the locker room and on the field, and hoping to give themselves a clean start, specifically at the most important position in sports. Despite the obvious upgrades at quarterback, as well as offensive coordinator with the hiring of Arthur Smith, almost no one pegged Pittsburgh as a playoff team, despite them winning 10 games and making the postseason in 2023 with frankly terrible quarterback play and overall offensive performance. Those of us with common sense, though, saw the upgrades at quarterback, the incredible draft the Steelers put together, and quality additions on defense such as Patrick Queen and DeShon Elliott and said there was no way they’d somehow be worse in 2024 – and they proved us right.

The Steelers have already clinched a playoff spot, marking just the second time they’ve gone to the postseason in consecutive years since 2016. On top of that, the Steelers will clinch the AFC North with a win over the Baltimore Ravens this Saturday. If I would have told you ahead of Week 1 that the Steelers would be playing for the division crown in Week 16, everyone would have signed up for that without asking any questions, and those outside of Pittsburgh would have said there was no chance of that happening with Wilson and Fields at quarterback. Yet, both quarterbacks have played very well in their respective roles to help get them here.

But the overarching question on the Steelers is on what would make this season a true success? Would winning the division and hosting a playoff game in front of a packed Acrisure Stadium for the first time in almost a decade make it a season worth while in the eyes of the fans? Winning more games this season compared to last? Is it Super Bowl or bust?

Personally, I came into the year predicting an 11-6 record and a wild card berth while saying if they won a playoff game, that would be a massive success for 2024. Well, they are on pace to achieve more than I originally thought should they win on Saturday. If the Steelers were to host a playoff game and win it, whatever they would accomplish after that would be gravy. I doubt anyone had realistic Super Bowl expectations for the Steelers, so saying if they don’t win it all, then this season was a waste would frankly be ridiculous. Would we love to see them win a Super Bowl? Of course. Do I personally think they are one of the elite teams in the Super Bowl bubble right now? No. They aren’t as good as the Bills, Lions, or Eagles. And if they played the Chiefs in the postseason, I’ll choose the three-time Super Bowl champions with Patrick Mahomes to take care of business, despite how they’ve looked in the regular season. We saw the Chiefs struggle up until Christmas last season and then they ran the table and won another championship.

Right now, the Steelers are in the second tier of playoff teams. They are better than the Broncos, the Chargers, and the Texans, but they don’t have a Josh Allen or Mahomes to be Superman week in and week out to overcome other roster shortcomings.

This is a good Steelers team that can make noise in January and win a playoff game, or potentially two. And should they do that, this season will be a massive success. Fail to win a playoff game once again, and the irritation will grow and fans will look at all the offseason moves as nothing more than window-dressing for a team who’s results remained disappointing.