The best coached teams in the National Football League most often get better as a season progresses. One of those excellent mentors is in charge of the Pittsburgh Steelers fortunes, Head Coach Mike Tomlin.
Last year, the Steelers appeared on their way to the first losing campaign compiled by Tomlin in his 16 seasons with the Steelers. They had struggled through the first half of the season in their first year Tomlin did not have Ben Roethlisberger running his offense. Behind the future Hall of Fame quarterback, Roethlisberger twice led the Steelers to Super Bowl wins and never suffered a losing campaign during the 17 seasons he worked behind Pittsburgh’s center.
So, when Pittsburgh got off to a rocky start last season, some thought the success of the Steelers was as much pinned to their talented quarterback as the head coach. Might he have a career pattern like that of Mike Shanahan, who won two Super Bowls while John Elway was running his offense and never got Denver back to the playoffs after his Hall of Fame quarterback retired?
Nope.
Despite a rocky start to the 2022 campaign, one that opened with newly acquired Mitch Trubisky running the Steelers offense, and a first half of the season that was more misses than hits, Pittsburgh hit their November bye week with two wins and six losses. But that is where Tomlin’s coaching and decisions turned the Steelers into a second half of the season winner.
First on his agenda to turn the disappointing start into a winning season was committing to rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett, who early-on looked like a rookie learning to compete at the pro level.
But, week-after-week the young signal caller who was the Steelers first round draft choice last year, the 20th overall selection out of the University of Pittsburgh, honed his craft in the heat of an NFL campaign. In his final seven starts, Pickett guided Pittsburgh to six wins and provided Tomlin with his 16th consecutive winning season. An all-time record for an NFL coach in his first assignment.
On Sunday, the Steelers host the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After two years of compiling the worst record in the NFL, the Jaguars rose to the level of significance last year with a winning season and postseason berth. Their turnaround season included a Wild Card Weekend come-from-behind win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
This year, the Jaguars have won five of their first seven games and a perch at the top of the AFC South Division standings. Their back-to-back worst records in the league allowed the Jaguars to accumulate a number of talented athletes, including standout quarterback Trevor Lawrence who they picked with the first overall selection in 2021.
Lawrence and his Jacksonville team took the abrupt turn from doormat to playoff team under the direction of another excellent head coach with a Super Bowl win to his credit, Doug Pederson. In 2017, Pederson led the Philadelphia Eagles to their franchise’s only Super Bowl title.
So, what do we have on display Sunday in Pittsburgh when the Steelers and Jaguars tangle?
We have two outstanding coaches, a couple first round draft choices that are living up to their lofty standards and a Steelers team needing a win to stay close to the AFC North Division leading Baltimore Ravens. What this means in practical terms is that the Steelers need this game more than the Jaguars, and on their home field with points they get our nod.
Qoxhi Picks: Pittsburgh Steelers (+2½) over Jacksonville Jaguars