The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for one more go at the playoffs, now that Aaron Rodgers is back. The future Hall of Famer is expected to bow out of the game on a strong note, hopefully with a better finish in the postseason. But according to Skip Bayless, the Steelers are far from the ideal competitor.

“They stumbled into the back door of the playoffs [last year] thanks to a missed 40-yard field goal by the Baltimore Ravens,” Bayless said on The Arena: Gridiron. “Then they lost at home 30-6 to your Super Bowl pick [Houston Texans], and Aaron Rodgers stunk in that game. Now you’re telling me they’re just magically going to be back in the playoffs in that division? The Bengals are going to be better. The Ravens are going to be way, way better. The Steelers are the odd man out unless you’re trying to tell me they sneak in at 10-7 again, and I don’t think they’re doing that.” 

The Steelers sure made it to the postseason last year. However, even with an Aaron Rodgers to lead the team, they never seemed to pack the punch as others in the division were. Except for the Week 1 and 11 games with the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh never won a game by a competitive margin. They were also humiliated by the Browns once again toward the end of the regular season, where they recorded a 6-13 result. Rodgers was able to throw for only 168 yards and scored zero touchdowns.

Against the Texans, the QB only went for 146 yards and was intercepted once.

If the missed field goal from the Ravens game was completed, there wouldn’t be many people who’d be upset at the Steelers not making the playoffs.

The Steelers are yet to convince the larger audience that they have enough spark to put themselves in the playoffs. If you take Rodgers out of the picture, there’d be no hope at all. Right now, there are too many unknowns for fans to be confident in the Steelers’ odds, and for others to consider them a solid contender.

Aaron Rodgers should have a better passing attack in DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. However, there’s no guarantee that Rodgers will be healthy throughout the season, and young backups Will Howard and Drew Allar might not be able to handle the pressure. The defense is holding steady with the star trio of Nick Herbig, T.J. Watt, and Alex Highsmith. They are all good players, but whether they will be enough is the bigger question.

Bayless specifically highlighted the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens as the primary reasons Pittsburgh will be the odd man out. The Bengals are in the conversation for overhauling their defenses, particularly with the high-profile trade for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. And the team has a better offense than Pittsburgh’s, headlined by Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins.

The Ravens also have a defensive mastermind in Jesse Minter, their new head coach. The defense also has a new star in Trey Hendrickson, who was previously with the Bengals. And on offense, Baltimore has a one-up over Pittsburgh with iconic RB Derrick Henry on their roster.

The Bengals and Ravens are ranked 9th and 11th on USA Today’s NFL Power Rankings. The Pittsburgh Steelers slot in at a disappointing No. 19. Like Bayless, USA Today’s Nate Taylor is confident that 10-7 “won’t get the job done this time around.”

If Pittsburgh wants to prove Bayless wrong and end their historic playoff win drought, they will need a lot more than just backdoor luck in 2026.