The Steelers wrapped their preseason schedule on Saturday with a 24-17 loss to the Detroit Lions. Pittsburgh ended the preseason 0-3, which doesn’t matter a bit. What matters is what comes next, beginning September 8 when they open the regular season in Atlanta. Are the Steelers ready for the real games to begin? The answer to that question is a resounding… I don’t know.

Forgive me for the non-committal response. But, in my defense, how can we know? We thought we knew last preseason, when Kenny Pickett looked like the second coming of Joe Montana and the Steelers went 3-0 and outscored their opponents 74-32. Then the 49ers showed up for the season-opener and rocked them. This pre-season, Pittsburgh was a hot mess on offense for two games before their starters trampled a Detroit defense comprised mostly of back-ups for a quarter. After that, Pittsburgh emptied the bench and the game pivoted in Detroit’s favor.

When you put everything that transpired this pre-season on a scale, it’s hard to know where it will come to balance. There is plenty of evidence to suggest things will tilt towards the negative. The starting offense — or elements of it — was woeful for those first two preseason games, scoring just three points in four quarters against Houston and Buffalo. The fact they racked up 14 points in less than ten minutes against Detroit feels encouraging. Finding the end zone was a big deal for the confidence of the offense, if nothing else. But, again, they did it against Detroit’s JV, which makes it hard to gauge what sort of progress they’ve made.

Much of the talk about the struggles of the offense has centered around the quarterback position, with Russell Wilson limited by injury and Justin Fields oscillating between scintillating and ordinary. But there are other concerns. The Steelers lack a proven third receiver behind George Pickens and Van Jefferson. Calvin Austin III got the lion’s share of the reps in that role, but produced just two receptions and is a liability as a blocker. Scotty Miller did some good things but is better as a package player. 3rd Round draft pick Roman Wilson missed the last month with an injury, making it impossible to get a read on his progress. A move for a proven receiver seems necessary, especially if new coordinator Arthur Smith is going to use as many three-receiver sets as he showed this pre-season. But with just 13 days until the opener, any such move needs to happen now, if not sooner.

Then there is the offensive line. A combination of new personnel, injuries and poor play overall limited that unit’s effectiveness. The group looked better in their two series together against Detroit, and the hope is they will gain cohesiveness as the season progresses. But they remain a work in progress.

Defensively, while the unit played well overall, there are holes. The most glaring is in the slot, where the Steelers lack a proven player. Thomas Graham and Beanie Bishop were given plenty of reps in Detroit in hopes one or the other would step up and claim the job. Neither was impressive. It would be a surprise if the team didn’t make a move there as well. As for the special teams, while punter Cameron Johnston has been thrilling and Chris Boswell should be his reliable self, the coverage units look shaky. There will be a lot of holding my breath during opposing returns until that element improves.

Now that we’ve burdened the negative side of the scale, let’s start loading up its counterpart. Is there room for optimism about the Steelers based upon what we saw this pre-season?

Of course there is.

Wilson looked confident and comfortable in his one series in Detroit, and seemed to be moving much better than he was the previous week. With two weeks before the opener, he should be fully healed and up to speed with the offense. Wilson doesn’t have to put the Steelers on his back, but if he can be a good leader, protect the football and make a handful of big throws each game, like he did on Saturday by putting an out-cut to George Pickens on the money to convert a 3rd-and-11 and extend Pittsburgh’s opening drive, he will be an upgrade from what they got at the quarterback position last season. The Steelers also stand to carve out a package of plays for Fields each week, which gives them an opportunity to get creative with his explosive skill set.

As for the line, Zach Frazier is already a more physical player at center than was last year’s starter, Mason Cole. Frazier and Isaac Seumalo executed a perfect combo block on Cordarrelle Patterson’s 31-yard touchdown run that finished off their opening drive in Detroit. That sort of chemistry was great to see, and it only stands to improve. The same should be true for Broderick Jones, who had a rough pre-season but afforded himself better on Saturday. Jones was impressive as a rookie and there is no reason to believe he will regress this season. Rookie number one draft pick Troy Fautanu is a great addition to the unit and will likely supplant Dan Moore Jr. in the starting lineup at some point. That will give the Steelers three high picks from the previous two drafts to go with two quality veterans, making this the most talented line, on paper at least, in years.

As for the receivers, Smith can mitigate the fact they aren’t very deep at the moment by getting his tight ends more involved. Smith limited his use of tight ends during the pre-season, and I suspect that was by design. Pat Freiermuth should take on a bigger role once the real games begin, which will lessen the need to land a big-time receiver. If the Steelers can acquire a veteran in the Van Jefferson mold to shore up that third receiver spot, and integrate the tight ends as expected, they will have plenty of options in the passing game.

Defensively, despite their deficiency at slot corner, the Steelers looked lights-out this pre-season. The pass rush was incredible and the secondary looked better than anticipated. The linebackers are fast — Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson, especially — and the defensive line appears to be a deep unit that can rotate as many as seven players through. Most impressive is the fact the Steelers looked so good without T.J. Watt or Cam Heyward playing a single snap, and with Minkah Fitzpatrick limited to just a few. Once they get their stars on the field, this defense could be special.

So which is it? Are the Steelers an incomplete team whose holes will resign them to another season of mediocrity? Or are they a team that has made the necessary improvements between last season and this one to join the list of true contenders in the AFC? That answer is hard to know. I’m an optimist, and a believer in Mike Tomlin, so I lean towards the latter. But we shall see. Ready or not, here come the 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers…