The Pittsburgh Steelers only had one thing in mind when they hired head coach Mike McCarthy and reunited with a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers to lead the charge at quarterback: snapping their winless playoff drought. The Steelers are looking to avoid a dreaded 10-year streak without a single playoff win.
And Jerome Bettis believes McCarthy's team is prepared to silence doubters.
I recently had the privilege of sitting down with the Hall of Fame running back for an interview. Bettis teamed up with Pepsi for their Flag on Flavor campaign, and after sharing his first memories of drinking an ice-cold Pepsi and watching football at his grandmother's house, Bettis explained why he's optimistic about the Steelers this season.
Jerome Bettis believes in the Steelers under Mike McCarthy
"Yeah, I'm optimistic when you see what they added. I really believe it's about the talent that you put on the field. And, unfortunately, the last few years, the talent hadn't been as substantial as it needed to be from that standpoint."
General manager Omar Khan didn't sit on his hands this offseason, and Bettis explained that it was a cluster of aggressive offseason additions by the Steelers that has him hopeful that positive changes are coming.
"When you look at the moves they made this offseason—Michael Pittman Jr., Rico Dowdle, drafting [Germie] Bernard at the wide receiver position," Bettis said during our one-on-one. "Those were all significant upgrades to the roster. All of that is going to, I think, benefit..."
"They made the playoffs last year with a limited roster," Bettis continued. "You got better players, I think you get a better chance. So I'm excited to see what happens."
Hall of Fame RB Jerome Bettis believes the Pittsburgh Steelers will snap their ugly playoff drought after the 2026 season
Cashing a ticket to the postseason is one thing, but winning playoff games is something else entirely. For years under former head coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers subscribed to the philosophy of 'enter the tournament first and anything can happen.'
But the Steelers need to start yielding results in the playoffs—not just make it to the dance—and Bettis knows it.
When asked whether this will finally be the year that the Steelers snap their winless playoff drought, Bettis gave the response that fans of the team were hoping to hear.
"I think so. They upgraded the roster, they did the things they needed to do, and now it's about going out there and playing," Bettis explained. "They already had a great defense. I think the defense gets better because now the offense is able to score more points."
Bettis not only praised the Steelers' defense for hanging tough in 2025 and making improvements this offseason, but he is confident that the offense can and will take a massive leap forward in 2026.
"For the longest [time], the defense had to keep people under twenty points to have a chance to win, because the offense just couldn't score," Bettis continued. "Now the offense, I think, can score 30 points and win a game, and I think it's really going to benefit the defense. "
After sharing his thoughts on the Steelers, Bettis and I had a little fun going back and forth as we took turns drafting the greatest running backs in NFL history. Bettis' No. 1 pick in our all-time RB draft was the legendary Jim Brown.
You can check out my full interview with Jerome Bettis on FanSided's YouTube channel. Also, be sure to check out Bettis' Flag on Flavor campaign with Pepsi, as Pepsi is giving away FREE 12-packs of Pepsi Zero Sugar for NFL Kickoff Weekend, available September 9–14.
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