Steelers Super Bowl odds still reasonable, considering circumstances

The Pittsburgh Steelers may not be favorites at the moment, but here’s why they still have very respectable Super Bowl odds.

In today’s NFL, elite quarterbacks win Super Bowls. At least, that was the stereotype the Steelers were trying to break. While Ben Roethlisberger was once considered among the best in the game, I don’t think anyone is making that claim at this point in his career. Instead, Pittsburgh’s best chance of winning the Super Bowl must come on a collective team effort with terrific defensive performances – one that doesn’t require their quarterback to do as much as other playoff quarterbacks will be capable of.

Unfortunately, excellent defensive performances haven’t been enough for this team. With Pittsburgh’s offense averaging just 14.6 points per game over their last three contests, there aren’t a lot of teams we can expect the Steelers to beat with performances like this, and there is plenty of blame to be passed around.

The rushing attack has been non-existent for this offense since early in the season. The Steelers have no impressive talent at running back and while their offense line seems already in pass protection, they can’t pave a path for the running back to save their lives. The passing game has hardly been more effective (if that’s even possible). Against the Bills last week, Roethlisberger managed a dismal 187 yards on 37 attempts (3.7 yards per attempt). Drops have been huge issues for this team, as well as Big Ben’s inability to complete passes down the field.

Despite all of this, somehow oddsmakers still have the Pittsburgh Steelers with very respectable Super Bowl odds in 2020. As of now, Mike Tomlin’s team still boasts the 6th-best odds in the league at +1200, courtesy of The Action Network. This ties them with the Buffalo Bills and puts them ahead of teams like the Seahawks, Buccaneers, and Ravens.

Why do Steelers still have good Super Bowl odds?

After the atrocity we have witnessed offensively over the past three weeks, it’s hard to believe that Pittsburgh could still boast respectable odds to win it all this year. There are a couple of different reasons why this might be the case.

For starters, there may be enough gamblers out there who have been willing to take the Steelers recently, so they haven’t bothered to drop their odds lower. However, the most likely reason is that they truly believe Pittsburgh still has a shot at a Super Bowl this year.

Pittsburgh hasn’t had much go their way over the past three weeks, but it’s important to remember that Baltimore and Washington have some of the better defenses in the league. While the offense is still more than concerning, we have to believe that the Steelers could do something to turn things around before the end of the season.

If improvements are made very soon, there is no reason to expect the Steelers will be anything but one-and-done in the playoffs. However, if the offense can find a rhythm heading into the playoffs, Pittsburgh is capable of beating anybody.