The Pittsburgh Steelers are off to a rocky start to their 2025 season. What looked like a winnable game against the Seattle Seahawks, traveling from the West Coast, turned into a blowout loss as Mike Tomlin's team was outperformed in all three phases.
But we should know better than to think that any game is a cake walk in this league.
Recently, I had the privilege of sitting down for an interview with inspirational speaker and former NFL fullback Merril Hoge, sponsored by Boveda Humidor, Hellmann's, Borden Cheese, LG, and ILoveIceCreamCakes.com. The former ESPN analyst and Steelers fan-favorite was quick to remind us why we can't take any team on the schedule lightly.
As I asked Hoge about Pittsburgh's schedule, I alluded to the Steelers having some 'winnable' games early in the season before things look tough down the stretch. However, Hoge was there to correct me and offer a warning to the Steelers about falling into the same trap.
"I never say any game is winnable, it's easy," Hoge said during the interview. "As a player, I'll give you an example. I think we played the Patriots. I think they were 0-10. They came into Pittsburgh. We beat them on a fourth-and-one. They were on the one-yard line, and we stuffed them with like one second left, and we win the game. I remember we got in the locker room and I was like, 'How was that team 0-11 now? They were like one of the toughest teams that we played all year."
It's true. We've seen great teams collapse against what some would deem inferior opponents, and the last thing the Steelers can afford to do is take any opponent lightly. We learned this the hard way in Week 2.
"I'm just sensitive to saying, 'This is a winnable game.' Keep in mind, that's only going off how they played last year," Hoge continued. "There are some teams that are not going to play as good this year as they played last year, or some teams are playing better than they played last year."
Hoge signed off on his thoughts with a tentative Steelers record prediction, with a caveat if their weaknesses don't improve. He believes the next few weeks could define what type of team Pittsburgh will be this year.
"Let's put it this way, if [the Pittsburgh Steelers] don't improve in the areas that they struggled with, you're lucky if you're 9-8, 8-9," Hoge predicted. "If they get better in those areas, I think this team might have caught lightning in a bottle, especially with the play of Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf... What we see in the next couple of weeks is really going to set the tone for the type of team that they really are going to be."
The Pittsburgh Steelers must listen to Merril Hoge's words of wisdom
The Steelers were caught off guard in Week 2 against Sam Darnold and the Seahawks, which is exactly what Merril Hoge is warning them against. With numerous new additions, it's possible that Tomlin's squad has yet to find its identity; however, on offense, defense, and special teams, they've been flat to start the season.
Hoge offered the perfect example of why the Steelers can't take any team lightly. Now, with injuries already striking around the league, it looks like Pittsburgh could have upcoming matchups against backup quarterbacks like Carson Wentz and Jake Browning. And the Steelers can't afford to come out flat in must-win games.
Hoge played eight seasons in the NFL from 1987 to 1994—including seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers—before serving as an ESPN analyst for 21 years. He offered words of wisdom, and the Steelers must heed his advice.