The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have an easy schedule in 2024. They’ll face a tough test after their bye week, which also includes division games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, all of which are included in the schedule.
Some are calling this one of the toughest schedules in years, as the AFC North is one of the toughest divisions in football this season.
But Pro Football Hall of Famer and legendary Steelers running back Jerome Bettis thinks his former team is salivating over the schedule.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Jerome Bettis signs a football during Touchdown on the Green, the inaugural Tim & Sherice Brown Celebrity Golf Invitational to End Human Trafficking before the 55th Super Bowl at Topgolf on February 8, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
That’s because he feels they’re poised to be one of the “top teams” in the NFL this year.
“I think the Steelers are going to be one of those top-tier teams that everybody else is going to look at their schedule and think, ‘Oh, they’re going to be a tough team to beat,’ so I’m excited about the season and the schedule,” he told Fox News Digital, excited to co-host Air Serve. The Ultimate Fantasy Football Draft Party It will be held in Nashville, Tennessee this August.
Of course, Betis is always optimistic about his former club, but there is good reason behind his excitement for this season.
Justin Fields on target for Steelers starting quarterback spot: ‘Russell knows it too’
The Steelers notably added two new quarterbacks this offseason, a major boost at a position they desperately need stability in. Russell Wilson was acquired on a veteran-minimum contract after being terminated by the Denver Broncos after two seasons, and then Justin Fields was acquired.
Despite Wilson’s shaky tenure at Mile High, Bettis believes Wilson showed last season he can still lead an offense, and a leader is what the Steelers need offensively.
“If you look back at Russell Wilson and his career even a year ago, he was obviously playing really good football when he left Denver. Maybe two years ago he wasn’t. But last year he was able to correct some of his mistakes and really lead the team. When he had the opportunity, he took advantage of it,” Bettis explained.
“So I know that if you put a good system around him and put some good football players around him, he’s going to be successful. That’s the hopeful part of all of this. He’s a good quarterback. The only thing the Steelers were really missing was quarterback play. If we get that in, we’ll be a championship-caliber football team. That’s my belief.”
Russell Wilson watches before a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Red Sox at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on April 19, 2024. (Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Bettis also likes the “two-headed monster” that Fields brings to the quarterback staff, especially considering he told reporters he has no plans to sit on the bench during the season. This suggests Bettis isn’t content to be the backup quarterback, but that’s not a bad thing. If anything, it creates more competition for Wilson in practice every day. When the time comes for Fields to be drafted, he’ll be ready.
But the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and last year’s AFC No. 1 seed, the Baltimore Ravens, are all playoff contenders, so the Steelers will need to perform well in all facets if they want to make the playoffs again this season.
How do they get through the second half of the season when they play all of those teams twice, plus Philadelphia and Kansas City?
Pittsburgh to host 20206 NFL Draft
“Well, the key is health,” Bettis responded. “When this team is healthy, I think we’re one of the best teams in the NFL. We’re going to be really good late in the game. I don’t think there’s any game we can’t win. I think that’s all you want as a football player.”
“When I played, the schedule was set. There was never a game that I looked at the schedule and thought we had no chance of winning, and that was the Pittsburgh Steelers. If their quarterback plays consistently, there’s not a team on the schedule that the Steelers can’t beat. They have a really good defense and I expect them to play at a high level.”
“If we can score on the offensive side, we’ll be a tough team to beat.”
Fantasy football with a message
In addition to giving fans his best fantasy football advice at the Air Serve Ultimate Fantasy Football Draft Party in Nashville, Bettis also wants to help people who don’t realize how important the air quality in their home is.
Diagnosed with asthma at age 14, Bettis knows what a difference fresh air can make to a life, and Neighborly’s Air Serv, the nation’s leading HVAC team, is helping transform the lives of many people in their own homes.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis poses. (Air Service)
Click here to get the FOX News app
“People don’t realize it’s a problem until it’s an issue,” Bettis said, “so I’ve been fortunate to work with Air Serve and really get to show and educate people that there are issues in their homes that they don’t know about.”
Fans have until June 30th to apply. Chance to win I will meet Betis at the party on August 10th.
Follow Fox News Digital X’s sports coverage,subscribe Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter.
