Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 playoff chances revealed

Postseason percentages have been revealed for the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of the 2023 season, for better or for worse.

The Steelers are looking to build on their nine-win season in 2022 — but based on some of their percentages, Pittsburgh’s season could come down to how well they perform against divisional opponents.

Here are the main percentages, courtesy of BetPennsylvania.com.

• Playoff chances — 43.5 percent
• Miss playoffs — 56.5 percent
• Super Bowl chances — 2 percent
• Win AFC — 3.8 percent
• Win AFC North — 18.2 percent

“I calculated the Steelers playoff picture using the implied probability of the team’s odds to make the postseason. For this particular chart’s data, I used DraftKings Sportsbook PA. Converting the Steelers’ current odds of +130 to make the playoffs provided the 43.5% chance highlighted above,” BetPennsylvania’s Michelle Magdziuk wrote on how she went about calculating the percentages.

Pittsburgh’s 18.2 percent chance to win the division is the lowest out of all AFC North teams, though the Steelers has had a winning record in every season since 2003 — giving them a fairly decent shot to make the playoffs based on history, especially under head coach Mike Tomlin.

Still, the Steelers have missed the postseason in three of the last six seasons and haven’t won a playoff game at all in that span — Pittsburgh’s longest winless streak since the 1970s. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Steelers are favorites to win 10 of their 17 matchups during the 2023 season. More often than not, a 10-7 record is decent enough to earn a spot in the postseason.

Teams on the Steelers’ 2023 schedule had a collective .470 win percentage last season, giving Pittsburgh the eighth lowest strength of schedule next season. Though, that could bode well for the young Steeler squad in the long run.

Of course, the Steelers are still adjusting to their new identity. Last season was Pittsburgh’s first without Ben Roethlisberger in 18 years, but faired nicely considering the changing of the guard. Led by rookie QB Kenny Pickett, the Steelers went 9-8 on the season but still missed out on the playoffs. They’ll be looking to build on the team’s successes this season as Pickett continues to fine-tune his game to match the NFL level.

In his first season with the Steelers, Pickett started 12 of Pittsburgh’s 17 games, leading them to a 7-5 record when starting the game. He threw for 2,404 yards and seven touchdowns on the year. More is expected of him in year two.