Mark Madden's Hot Take: Steelers must make most of opportunity ahead

It’s difficult to evaluate the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season.

They are beneficiaries of an unchallenging schedule, a dearth of quality NFL quarterbacks, a rotten league in general. As Tom Brady rightly said, “I don’t see the excellence that I saw in the past.”

I doubt Brady sees it in Pittsburgh, either.

But, at 7-4 and with a remaining slate of games that puts them at very likely to finish no worse than 11-6, the Steelers would have to be deaf to not hear opportunity knocking.

But the Steelers need to get better.

Here’s how that can happen:

• Minkah Fitzpatrick is back after missing four games. He’s been part of 24 takeaways since joining the Steelers in 2019 but none yet this year. That needs to change. Fitzpatrick is the best safety in football.

• Defensive end Cameron Heyward has been meh in the four games he’s played since returning from injury: one sack, four tackles for loss. Not bad, but not what Heyward is capable of. Can Heyward again find peak form at 34? It would help.

• Inside linebackers Elandon Roberts and Mykal Walker must maintain their performances in the absences of Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander, both out for the season. So far, so good. But talent tends to catch up with adrenaline.

• The Steelers must be aggressive in the red zone. They can’t lay up and settle for field goals. That’s not the way of the NFL. (But it works against bad opponents, which further emboldens this facet of “the Steelers way.”) Forget yards. Score more points.

• Kenny Pickett must throw more touchdowns. Six TD passes in 11 games is an atrocity. That’s not the way of the NFL, either. (Except, again, it succeeds against rotten foes.)

• Receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens must shut up. Antonio Brown imploded on almost a daily basis, but he was the best wideout in football. Johnson and Pickens aren’t. Anyway, what did Brown win in Pittsburgh?

• The running game has been good for four games. It must get even better. Because the passing game might not.

• Coach Mike Tomlin has got to not mangle every single replay challenge decision. That has the potential to cost the Steelers more than it has. Same goes for special teams.

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So, how much can the Steelers still improve? How much good will it do them? How much do they feel the need to improve?

Tomlin never thinks about the big picture. Never looks past the next game. Beating bad teams makes bad habits tolerable.

The Steelers couldn’t beat Kansas City or Miami in a playoff game. It’s not a vintage Chiefs team. The Dolphins have weak spots. But the Steelers couldn’t outscore either. Same goes for Buffalo if the Bills make the postseason.

The Steelers already lost to Jacksonville. The Jaguars are better.

The Steelers always have a shot to defeat Baltimore. Two defensive-minded coaches with outdated mindsets. Somebody wins 16-13.

It’s a crazy season. Who’d have thought? Make the most of it.