What is an acceptable season this year?

Nice poll! I certainly understand wanting to win a Playoff game but if we won and lost the next round would you really be happy?? I'm pretty sure Houston fans are not jumping up and down telling people they won a Playoff game.

Where I live I see hundreds of Eagles World Champions shirts. I am not walking around with one that says Steelers, we won a Playoff game. Now we make it to AFCCG, win or lose I'm very proud of this team.

 

I have seen here and other places posters showing an "!" about winning a play off game. That really does not excite me, I know you have to start somewhere, only 1 team from each conference goes to the SB, but what I desire to see is the team showing and winning homefield like it means something to them. Showing up for 60 minutes and even in losses being competitive. If they can win their division, win the home play off game and be competitive down the line...even in that or those losses I could seem a hunger and growth, getting blown out the last games of the season (including PO) is just another 'we are what we have been', mediocre.

 

At least a good showing in the AFC championship. I think that we are missing the franchise quarterback that we need to truly go deep. A single win in the playoffs is not going to do much to make fans happy. A one and done will make them even less happy. But if we can at least have a good showing in the AFC championship, that means that most of the pieces are there. It gives us hope that within a year or two we could actually be competing.

 

I agree one win will not make many happy, but I would counter that getting to the second game and actually competing well against a solid team would at least show me (big deal, right, lol) that the team is/has moved in a different direction.

 

Other. Super Bowl or bust.

 

Make the playoffs.

 

It's been almost a decade without a playoff win, I'll be satisfied with that.

 

1st. Win enough games to make the playoffs.
2nd. Make the SB.
Anything short of those two, I won't be happy, and there is no building blocks, or for example the Bills, and Ravens would have already made the SB with their current Qbs.

 

only one goal every year. anything less is failure.

 

This 100%

 

Keep MTs non-losing record intact, mainly so the announcers don't have to change their talking points and the networks can keep the same graphics. Rinse, repeat.

 

Yup. I couldn’t care less about a participation trophy

 

Just a reminder

The question isn't what you want, since we always want to win a Super Bowl, but what would be an acceptable season?

This is a difference between the 2!

 

I think the talking heads would love it if that streak is snapped... they could go on forever talking about how it got broken... tons of click bait material will come out.

 

If we did get to AFCCG it would mean are older guys stayed healthy. I don't see where it builds on our future. Those old guys will be gone and unless Howard is a diamond in the rough we are more then 2 years away from having a stable QB like Terry or Ben. And luck will be involved trying to get a franchise QB.

Hindsight 20/20. I'd have b!tched and moaned if we had the worse record in NFL but it would have been great to have #1 pick when Joe B. was available.

 

I say that because even though the Steelers are almost the oldest average age team in the NFL, drop AR and Cameron Heyward and just from those 2 guys, we move into the middle of the pack for average age. We do have a lot of seemingly good players who are young. If we can find our QB, what will we have in 2 years? We won't have AR, Heyward, probably not Darius Slay, maybe no Jalen Ramsey. Our O line is actually young. We have 2 drafts for a projected 19 picks in the next 2 years. Khan is also a superb deal maker IMO.

Find our QB and we are not far off from being able to make a real run at #7. Unless AR has one of those throw back years where he plays like he was 10 years younger, we won't get there for sure this year. But I think that even with some players aging out, the building blocks are there to support a strong team in 2 or 3 more seasons......if we get a QB.

And, we probably would have picked Tua.....lol......QB with a glass noggin and a penchant for leading any run with his head.

 

The way Andy and Omar has built this team is somewhat like the Eagles, maintaining it of course relays on keeping the core and continual development. The top 5 QB's are a dream, and if they luck into one wonderful, but having a quality team with a decent B++ like Hurts has got the Eagles to 2 SB's winning one. Not predicting or projecting anything, just saying having the top tier QB's has not gotten most of the team there (especially after having to pay them).

 

QB pay is a very good point. There are 16 teams paying a QB 40 million or more this year (Hurts is at #11 with 51 million). Salary cap for 2025 is just under 300 million. So these teams are paying a QB between 13 and 20 percent of their total money. Add in a TJ Watt and DK Metcalf to that and you have 40% of your money going to 3 players. That has a lot of potential to break a team.

 

Thats why the window of opportunity is very short, no doubt a guy like Mahomes with a Coach like Reid can extend it, at this point we have neither, lol.

 

It helps rookies, and 1st year guys playing with a different team,and History shows that's all, or every team that ever made a AFC, or NFC championship would make the SB within a few short years after, and History has shown this isn't what happens. If people want to say, I want to win a playoff game just so we have one more week of football, or so we can say we won one, then they are being honest, and I buy it, but to say it's a stepping stone is not one bit true, and for every one someone can show me, I will show 6 that it didn't happen with.

 

Why should we be accepting failure? That would be like saying just roll it back next year trying the same thing that didn’t work this year. I understand the sentiment that it is not realistic and seeing the team at least be competitive against the top teams would be encouraging.

 

I agree with this

I only responded to those who said "Super Bowl" to this question as if it was the only thing that was acceptable!