Unpopular Opinion: The Steelers can win with a subpar offensive line

When the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the dreaded long offseason, there are plenty of ideas to debate. As part of the triumphant trio on the Steelers Preview podcast, I’ve been known to often give a “Dave answer“ to various things as I often like to argue both sides of an issue. With this in mind, a new weekly segment has been born… Unpopular opinion.

There are plenty of arguments both for and against the Pittsburgh Steelers that might not go along with the majority of fans. Oftentimes I believe in these arguments, while other times I simply like to pose a counter argument for ones that are taking it too much to the extreme. For this reason, I’m going to offer some points about the Pittsburgh Steelers that go against the general fan narrative, or at least how I have heard things.

Next up is how successful the Steelers can be if a key part of the offense is under-performing…

The Steelers can win with a subpar offensive line

This weeks topic came courtesy of Jeff Hartman with the endorsement of Bryan Anthony Davis. As the 2025 offseason has rolled through all the way into Steelers training camp, there is one position group that Steelers fans believe must be successful for the Steelers to have any chance this season.

The offensive line.

This week, the unpopular opinion is that the Steelers can win despite getting subpar play from their offensive line. Does this mean that the Steelers are definitely going to get this from the offensive line this season? It does not. This is simply looking at if this is what ends up happening. Personally, I think a lot of Steelers fans would so along with me to say that, at this time, I don’t know what to expect from the Steelers offensive line this year.

There are two different things that have to be addressed to answer this question. First, is it possible?

That answer is overwhelmingly yes. The 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers proved this point. By many metrics, the Steelers were either the 28th or 29th ranked offensive line in 2008. Still, the Steelers won the Super Bowl. How did they do it? By having the NFL’s top ranked defense despite only being 22nd in offense. By having a defense that could do so many things to win football games, the offense didn’t have to do as much and the glaring weakness on the offensive line ended up not being too much of an issue to keep the team from hoisting the Lombardi trophy.

So now that we know it is possible, I look to see if it would be probable for the Steelers to be a winning team, even as far to get to be a Super Bowl winning team, if they’re not getting good play from the offensive line.

First up, is the defense good enough to be the best in the NFL? I don’t know that they definitively will be, but the Steelers defense very well could be the best in the NFL this coming season. It would not be a huge stretch of the imagination to learn this fact after the season is over.

But for every little bit that the defense isn’t the most dominant in the NFL, the offense has to pick up the slack. Can they do this with a struggling offensive line?

Once again, while it is possible, it might not be probable. Yes, Aaron Rodgers brings a lot of pedigree to the quarterback position. But at 41 years old, can he really escape and keep from taking a pounding if the offensive line is struggling? That’s a lot to ask.

If the Steelers have to go to a quick passing attack because of the offensive line, can they be successful enough doing so? That would be another big ask.

For this week, I’m going back to giving the ultimate “Dave answer.” Yes, the Pittsburgh Steelers can win with a subpar offensive line. But will they? I don’t believe they will. For 2025, I think the Steelers will go as far as their offensive line can take them.

To hear the latest Unpopular Opinion podcast, check it out in the player below. Be sure to check back for this podcast every Sunday morning during the Steelers offseason.