The Steelers were fukked from the moment they decided to hire Arthur Smith.
He was terrible in Atlanta. He's terrible in Pittsburgh.
He will be terrible anywhere he goes.
The issue for Pittsburgh is that they have a high floor, but not a high ceiling.
It's very difficult to justify a full rebuild when you're 6-5 but tied for 1st place in the division.
That said, look at their 5 losses so far:
Seattle
Cincinnati
Green Bay
LA Chargers
Chicago
4 of the 5 are playoff contenders.
Might the Steelers have won yesterday with Aaron Rodgers? Yeah, maybe. But I don't think they have the offensive weapons to win in January where they will need to dominate the clock, or potentially win a shootout.
From 2015 through 2025, the Steelers 1st round draft pick was Overall Pick #20 or later 9 out of 11 times.
I don't know how you get the elite talent to carry your teams when you're always picking in the back half of the draft.
But you tell me.