Mark Madden: Expect more of the mushy middle for this year's Steelers

I’ve got a bland prediction. It’s going to be a bland season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will go 9-8. Stuck in the mushy middle.

The Steelers will just make or just miss the playoffs. If they do make the postseason, the Steelers will be one-and-done.

Same as it ever was.

Thursday night’s NFL opener between Dallas and Philadelphia was a wake-up call.

The teams scored 41 points in the first half before an hour-long lightning delay broke the game’s momentum.

There were no punts in the first half. The possessions went like this: Touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, field goal, touchdown, field goal.

That’s how the NFL is. Score more and faster.

The Steelers can’t. The Steelers don’t want to. The Steelers want low-scoring rock fights.

The Steelers seek to control possession, play tough defense, impose their will and lay up for field goals.

That’s an antiquated approach. (The Steelers aren’t always good at it.)

It can beat the New York Jets.

It won’t get the Steelers out of the mushy middle.

Cincinnati might have the NFL’s worst defense.

But it might have the NFL’s best offense, and that could enable it to zoom past the Steelers.

The Steelers must finish ahead of the Bengals to make the playoffs. Baltimore will win the AFC North, and you can’t count on two wild cards coming out of the same division.

Joe Burrow and the Bengals can win shootouts like Thursday night’s game.

The Steelers can’t.

Except last year when they beat the Bengals, 44-38, in Week 13. The Steelers foolishly reverted back to their preferred rock-fight method for the Week 18 rematch and lost 19-17.

Aaron Rodgers could have one last big year.

T.J. Watt could win NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

But hope is not a strategy. You can’t rely on the improbable.

A few of the names have changed. There should be some improvement.

DK Metcalf is a legit No. 1 wideout. (His job will be made tougher by the lack of a legit No. 2 wideout.)

Jalen Ramsey provides the defense a much-needed Swiss Army knife.

When he’s healthy, rookie Derrick Harmon will shore up the run defense.

But the Steelers feel the same.

That’s because the approach is identical and always will be.

The Steelers need change, and that’s impossible as long as Mike Tomlin is the coach.

The nation’s football experts think Tomlin is the Steelers’ biggest strength.

That’s a myth. They’re all wrong.

Tomlin is closer to the Steelers’ biggest weakness.

That will be proven (and ignored) when this year’s Steelers travel the same, tired path to get to the same, tired destination: Palookaville.

All the games will matter.

Tomlin will maintain his streak of no losing seasons.

The low bar will be cleared, then celebrated.

Rinse and repeat in 2026. After adding a new, young quarterback to be ruined.