NFL: 5 best bets to be AFC Wild Card teams in 2020

Here’s to a bounce-back season that doesn’t bounce all the way back.

One team that will be interesting to see how it all shakes out will be the Pittsburgh Steelers. Generally, the Steelers are a playoff staple in the AFC. I mean, they have won six Super Bowls in their illustrious football history for a reason. However, the Steelers haven’t qualified for the AFC playoffs in the last two seasons. Something has to give for Pittsburgh at some point, right?

Had there been a seventh playoff spot in the AFC a year ago, Pittsburgh would have had to travel to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the No. 2-seeded Kansas City Chiefs. That probably would have been a loss, as Patrick Mahomes would have ran roughshod on Mason Rudolph, Devlin Hodges or whoever played quarterback for the Steelers.

But that is where the issue lies with this team this season. Pittsburgh will have back future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for seemingly one final Hail Mary of a Super Bowl run. The Steelers do have the defense necessary to win big this year with guys like Bud Dupree, Minkah Fitzpatrick and T.J. Watt in the mix. The question is will it be enough, though?

As far a playoff viability, yes, the Steelers should be one of the teams that should feel confident about its chances of getting in. However, we haven’t seen anything out of them of late to let us know they can outperform the rival Baltimore Ravens and win the AFC North. That’s why it feels like an AFC Wild Card spot or nothing for the Steelers this season. Maybe they’ll prove us wrong?