Steelers mailbag: Could AFC North winner go 8-9?

Great news: I won’t be doing this from a Starbucks this week.

I hope everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving and took some time to forget about how the Pittsburgh Steelers will probably ruin what has been a nice, long weekend so far. In between bites of leftover stuffing, let’s dive into this week’s mailbag.

Q: Many of the early mock drafts have the Steelers not taking a QB, do you concur? I say give Will Howard a shot before taking another project at the position. – Port Orange Hypocycloids

A: He was a sixth-round pick, guys. He wasn’t drafted to be the franchise quarterback. I’d be extremely surprised if they don’t take a quarterback in the first round. Now, that’s not me guaranteeing he’ll never play – things happen. If and when they take a QB and he struggles and/or gets hurt (not wishing that on anyone, just speaking hypothetically), then there could be the possibility of an RG3/Kirk Cousins situation. But again, Howard wasn’t taken to be the guy. If they thought that highly of him, he wouldn’t have gone in the sixth round. I’ll root like hell for him, though

Q: If we can beat the Bills this week, I think we will be rolling to the playoffs and with a little mo on are side! I got to go! Time to get the Reindeer ready for this trip! – Chris Present

A: If they beat Buffalo, I’d obviously be ecstatic, but the Bills have shown they have a ton of issues. Outside of Josh Allen and James Cook, there isn’t a player on that team that scares anyone. Perhaps Khalil Shakir, but the way Bills OC Joe Brady has turned him into nothing but a screen merchant, he hasn’t looked as dynamic as he did in 2024. However, a win would keep the Steelers in first place, and that’s all we can ask for.

Q: What are the odds that the AFC North division champ has an 8-9 record this year? The way the Ravens and Steelers are playing, along with the hole the Bengals are in makes me think it’s a real possibility. – Blkgldtom

A: I wouldn’t say it’s greater than 50 percent, but it’s definitely possible. I’d put it in the 30 percent range. The Steelers could very well lose to the Bills and Lions and split with the Ravens. That’s eight losses. The game in Cleveland certainly isn’t a guaranteed win. That would be nine losses if they lose all four. Baltimore still faces the Steelers twice – potential split there. Plus, they face the Patriots, Packers, and face the Bengals in Cincinnati – none of those are guaranteed. The Bengals just need one more loss to get to nine, but they aren’t out of it due to how bad the division is. The sicko in me would love to see the Bengals run the table and get in.

Q: Recast a Christmas movie of your choice with past and current Steelers players. – Ryland Bickley

A: First, we should all applaud Ryland for the work he’s done this season. Second, I think Elf with Big Ben as Buddy and Bill Cowher as Walter would be funny. Casey Hampton as the mall manager. Dri Archer as Miles Finch.

Q: The Steelers are currently back in a playoff position. After their loss yesterday, is it possible the Ravens are not quite the juggernaut we thought they might be? …or should we be glad we have already played the Bengals twice?? – Discipline of Steel

A: I think both can be true. The Steelers avoided Joe Burrow, but also lost a game to Joe Flacco so they didn’t really take full advantage of that. In terms of the Ravens, they’ve been the most overrated team in football for nearly a decade. Every year, they do the same song-and-dance. They win 11-14 games in the regular season, and then pee down their legs in the biggest games. And then every offseason, like clockwork, every person with a national platform talks about this being the Ravens’ year before we start the cycle over again. Are the Ravens better than the Steelers? Yes, but that’s not exactly a high bar. Plus, the Steelers usually win at least one of those games, so I won’t be shocked if Pittsburgh ekes out a division title.

Q: What do you get an 11-year-old boy who plays on his tablet when he’s at wrestling in the winter? – transpittfan

A: Great question. I fall into that weird middle ground as a soon-to-be 27 year-old. I don’t have kids, and I wasn’t an iPad/tablet kid growing up, so that’s something I have next to no knowledge on. I would assume it’s a lot of give and take. You don’t want to be the parent who doesn’t let his kids do what everyone else is doing and have all the things his friends have, but you also don’t want them to do nothing but stare at a screen. Gift wise, whatever he watches on the tablet, he obviously enjoys it – ask him about it. At 11, it’s almost a transitional year so maybe lean clothes and merch on what they watch over toys. Hopefully that helps some.

Q: Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? Do you still laugh when the Wet Bandits get taken out by the lone McCallister. If so, what part makes you laugh the most? What kind of music are you into JB, and apologies if you have shared that “Insider” information. Grizzly Bear/Gorilla, who are you putting money on? – PittsBlitz56

A: Love all of these. I say yes to Die Hard being a Christmas movie, but I also don’t get bent out of shape about it either way. I watch Home Alone around 10 times between November 1st and January 1st. It’s a perfect movie and I’ll always enjoy it. I’ll cheat a little and say the brick scene from Home Alone 2 still tickles me. Music wise, I love metal and country. Ice Nine Kills, Motionless In White, The Amtiy Affliction are my three favorite metal bands. Love George Strait and Toby Keith. Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs rule. There’s a band called Restless Road that seems to be getting bigger that I really enjoy. I’d bet on the gorilla.

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