3 reasons the Pittsburgh Steelers will win Super Bowl LI

It doesn’t matter how you start, so long as you finish well. 

 

And the Pittsburgh Steelers certainly finished the 2016 season well. 

 

Armed with two of the best offensive players in football, a Super Bowl champion quarterback and coach and a ton of confidence, the Steelers are so much more than just a normal No. 3 seed — they’re one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl. 

 

Here are three reasons the Steelers will be holding the trophy in Houston in February: 

The offensive line is rock-solid — one of the best in the NFL — and running back LeVeon Bell was one of the best players in the league this year, but the Steelers are nowhere near their offensive ceiling.

 

There’s still room for Ben Roethlisberger to progress towards his mean — he didn’t have all that good of a season, as there were some real duds on the game ledger. The postseason is the perfect time for that great quarterback to emerge again — it’s not like he didn’t have truly outstanding games against Dallas and Kansas City this year.  

 

The secondary receivers on the Steelers can step it up as well.

 

But the primary receiver — Antonio Brown — has some room to progress, too. Brown is still one of the best wideouts the league, but he hasn't been as dominant this year as he was last year. Though did have 96 yards and a game-winning touchdown in his season finale against Baltimore, Brown had some quiet games in 2016. Only a player of Brown’s incredible caliber could be slighted for a 106-catch, 1,284-yard, 12-touchdown season, but he could be better in the postseason.

 

If Brown, a secondary receiving option or Roethlisberger does up his game in the postseason, the entire Steelers’ offense will improve. It’s not as if they weren’t already good.

The Steelers’ defense isn’t going to get a Steel Curtain nickname, but thanks to a second-half surge it’s certainly good enough to win the Super Bowl.

 

That’s because of the emergence of cornerback Artie Burns, safety Sean Davis, and linebacker Bud Dupree.

 

Burns’ in-season progression as the Steelers’ No. 2 cornerback has solidified the pass defense – he seemed to get better week-in, week-out and now stands as one of the most exciting young corners in the game.

 

Behind him, Davis was named the team’s defensive rookie of the year thanks to his ability to defend against the run and his rapidly improving competency in the pass game.

 

And Dupree leads AFC linebackers with 4.5 sacks since the start December, helping transform the Steelers’ once woeful pass rush into a viable unit.

 

This defense has talent, and it’s finding its form at the absolutely perfect time.

The Steelers are a damn fine team, and no one would be shocked if they won the Super Bowl this year, even with some of the deficiencies and areas that need improvement. 

 

But Steelers coach Mike Tomlin must have a chip on his shoulder after Terry Bradshaw’s comments on "Speak For Yourself," where the former Steelers quarterback called the head coach of the 2009 Super Bowl champions a “cheerleader guy.” 

 

Tomlin has taken the high road since the comment, but who wouldn’t find some extra motivation from it? 

 

Would a cheerleader guy take his team into Kansas City and Foxborough and win? Would he have two Super Bowl appearances?

 

I think not, and I’d bet on Tomlin to come out on top in that situation.