The “City of Champions” as it was once known, has done anything but lived up to its reputation in recent years. Since the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2017, the big three in Pittsburgh have combined for one series win and 12 total playoff games.

Ironically, the Penguins own all of those wins, claiming their last series win in a first round win over Philadelphia in 2018, and picking up scattered wins over their first round exits ever since.

With that much lack of success in recent years, there’s a desperate appetite for change, and for success. 

The Pirates don’t seem poised to bring either. In year two of Paul Skenes, the phenom ace that the team lucked into with the first overall pick in 2023, the team has taken a gigantic step backwards, even with their continued pitching development.

A season that saw manager Derek Shelton relieved of his post in May has played out as a disaster for the Pirates. 

It was another trade deadline that saw the Pirates conduct a garage sale, except most of the garage is still full. Most of the rentals were not traded and are slated to depart in the offseason, leaving the Pirates with nothing for their absence. 

At the same time, Ke’Bryan Hayes, who owner Bob Nutting called a “cornerstone” of the next winning Pirates teams, was shipped off to a divisional rival three years after signing a rare extension with the club. 

Last year’s result of 76-86 was seen as a disappointment. This year’s record will look like a complete disaster. 

Some of the names are new, but the on-field results are the same. Honestly, the fact that the Pirates are not guaranteed to have a new general manager next year tells you all you need to know. 

The Penguins, meanwhile, have all but openly acknowledged that they won’t be any good for at least a few years. Amidst a ton of behind-the-scenes changes that include their owners, Fenway Sports Group, potentially looking to get out of the hockey business, the Penguins are conducting a rebuild of the roster and an overhaul of the coaching staff. 

It’s still a somewhat controversial move, given that Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang are all still on the team, but the longer the Penguins stayed stuck in that middle ground of “too bad to be good” and “too good to be bad,” they were never going to get anywhere. 

General manager Kyle Dubas, to his credit, has done a terrific job starting the teardown. The Penguins have 28 draft picks over the next three years, including 17 in the first three rounds. This summer, they were able to make 13 selections, including three in the first round alone. The Penguins hadn’t had three first round picks in a draft since 1984. 

Of course, tearing it all down is the easy part. But whether the Penguins and Dubas can execute the building back up part is still a few years away from being known. For now, the goal is to be bad. Preferably, bad enough to land Gavin McKenna in the upcoming 2026 draft. 

So, if the Penguins are nowhere close by design, and the Pirates are nowhere close by accident, it all comes down to the Steelers. 

It’s undeniable that the Steelers are still the top dog when it comes to Pittsburgh sports. But their connection with the city is much more rooted in history, tradition, and nostalgia than any current success. 

The Steelers own one of the NFL’s lengthiest playoff win droughts, having not won a postseason matchup since January of 2017. Over 75% of the league has won a playoff game more recently than them. 

Since 2013, the Steelers have the same amount of playoff game wins since the Pirates. Different playoff formats and rules? Sure, but, come on…it’s the Pirates. Any time a vaunted franchise like the Steelers is on par with the Pirates, it’s usually insulting to the football club.

The one thing the Steelers have done is change. These are not your grandfather’s Steelers anymore. George Pickens and Minkah Fitzpatrick are gone. DK Metcalf and Jalen Ramsey are now here. 

But the biggest change came at the sport’s most important position. Aaron Rodgers is now a Steeler, signing on for a 21st season in the NFL after a grueling wait-and-see approach to the summer. This season will very likely mark his last ride as an NFL star.

On the surface, it’s just a stopgap signing. The Steelers have failed to find a long-term answer ever since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger after the 2021 season. Since then, the team has started five different quarterbacks (Rodgers will be sixth), and the almost 42-year-old Rodgers will mark the fourth year in a row that the Steelers have opened the season with a new man under center.

But Rodgers didn’t come here just to talk conspiracy theories. He came to win. The man who defeated the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV is looking for yet another ring on his finger, and this time he’s hoping to bring the Steelers with him. 

Last season with the New York Jets didn’t go his way. The team went 5-12, and the Rodgers experiment ultimately led to both head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas losing their jobs, before new management passed on keeping Rodgers any longer. 

He threw for just under 3,900 yards, 28 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a 63% completion rate. It was a fine season by an NFL quarterback, but it was not up to the usual standards of Rodgers.

The change to Pittsburgh isn’t the easiest. Metcalf is a great first choice in the receiving game, but similar to last year, the Steelers don’t have a clear option alongside him.

Similarly, the running game is undergoing some development. The team drafted Kaleb Johnson in the third round to replace the departing Najee Harris, and Jaylen Warren will now assume the lead running back role, at least to open the year.

Warren, though vastly underrated since breaking into the league, has never taken the lead role in a running back room. There might be a bit of an adjustment period for the rushing game, as Warren, Johnson, and free agent signing Kenneth Gainwell round out the group.

A large chunk of the offense will likely involve tight ends, where the Steelers have a surplus of talent. Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and the newly acquired Jonnu Smith will head up one of the stronger tight end rooms in the league.

There’s a lot that is obviously yet to be seen. But fans are more anxious than ever to see the team get back on the field.

Even though the Steelers still own the mantle as the number one team in town, their crown has a lot of cracks. But, there’s rarely been a better time to win a ton of love back from a city that is desperate to see a winner. 

And luckily for the Steelers, the goal set by most fans isn’t even the league’s ultimate prize. It’s simply to win a playoff game.

This city is counting on the Steelers to do something. Can they live up to those hopes?