Despite the win, fan confidence in the Steelers stagnates

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off an offseason to remember, as well as a great start to the preseason. The key word to the previous statement was ‘start’. Following their Week 1 NFL Preseason win over the Seattle Seahawks 32-25 at Acrisure Stadium, the team was able to escape with a win vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars in Duval county. The following week, the Steelers beat the Detroit Lions at home, to finish the preseason 3-0.

Undefeated preseason. Fans were happy, right?

Well, not so much.

Throughout the final two week several warts on the team’s roster were exposed. The offensive line struggled, the running game stalled and questions remained about the defensive’s ability to stop the run.

As you can imagine, Steelers fans weren’t brimming with confidence heading into their Week 1 game vs. the Cincinnati Bengals in Ohio. Nonetheless, the team found a way to upset the Bengals 23-20 in overtime and move their record to 1-0.

Such a crazy game, and victory, you’d think this would create a big bump in fan confidence, right?

Not so much.

As a part of SB Nation’s Reacts poll, sponsored by DraftKings Sportsbook, every fan who takes the poll, which equates to a lot of fans, were asked a simple question:

Are you confident in the direction of the team?

When you go back and look at all that has transpired this offseason, it could go either way. Now throw in a rocky-at-times preseason, and you get a dip in the confidence.

80% seems like a solid number, especially when considering the fickle nature of the Steelers fan base, but when you compare it to the confidence level heading into the preseason it was quite the dip.

Preseason Confidence: 91%
Pre-Regular Season Confidence: 81%
Week 1 Confidence: 80%

With confidence slightly waning, it felt obvious to ask a follow-up question. This follow-up question pertained to Steelers quarterback position. After Mitch Trubisky played an average game vs. Cincinnati, many were starting to campaign for Kenny Pickett to take over as the quarterback sooner, rather than later.

So, I decided to ask the fan base if they felt Pickett would start six or more games this season, or if they would think he would start five or less in 2022. Shockingly, 69% of the fan poll suggests they think the Steelers will stick with Trubisky, keeping Pickett on the bench and watching.

Obviously, this is barring an injury which would force Pickett into the game, but it is clear the fans see Mike Tomlin sticking with Trubisky through thick and thin this regular season.

A lot can change throughout the course of a regular season, and we’ll be sure to keep you up-to-speed on the fan base’s feelings of the team. But what say you? Do you have confidence in the direction of the team? Is it too early to tell?

Let us know what you think in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the New England Patriots in Week 2 of the regular season.

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