The Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-1 despite doing everything they could to be 1-3, that hideous fourth quarter across the pond serving as the latest example. They are off this week, which in the AFC North right now is practically a win.
Look around the division. The Ravens are 1-3. Derrick Henry can’t hold onto the ball when it matters most. Their key players are dropping at a more alarming rate.
The Bengals are treading water at 2-2. But Jake Browning holds the keys to the offense until Joe Burrow returns this season — if he returns. And Browning is not an insurance policy; he’s an insurance claim waiting to happen.
And the Browns? Yeah, good plan trying to hit that Joe Flacco lottery ticket a second time. Come on down, Dillon Gabriel. Wish there was some way to mime instead of write that.
For all the angst the Steelers have given us through the first quarter of the season, they are so set up to win the AFC North for the first time since 2020.
Ten.
That is my magic number to win the AFC North. And without a tiebreaker coming into play. I know it’s way too early to be looking big picture, especially in a league where things can pivot in an instance.
But I can’t drive a mile without seeing some house/yard in full Halloween mode. And shoot, Christmas TV commercials are coming soon, so indulge me here.
The Steelers won three games in September and should have their best ball in front of them.
And look at what is in front of the Steelers the rest of the way.
Two games against the Browning-led Bengals, if Zac Taylor is to be believed. Two against the rudderless Browns. Two against the Ravens, who look far from the team that put the Steelers out of their misery in 2024.
How can the Steelers not go at least 4-2 in the division assuming they continue to improve? They go 5-1 and they would have to try not to win the AFC North.
Of course, the Steelers teased us right into December last season by winning 10 of their first 13 games.
A month later, probably only Russell Wilson had talked himself into believing they could win in Baltimore after dragging a four-game winning streak into the playoffs.
But right now – right now – this feels like such a different team than the one that collapsed like a bounce house leaking air. Swapping out Wilson and George Pickens for Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf is a big reason for that.
To be clear, I’m not predicting the Boulevard of the Allies will be blocked off a day in February for a parade. But if the Steelers get to 10 wins, they win the AFC North and play at least one postseason game at Acrisure Stadium.
That could mean everything for a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game in almost a decade. It will at least be a start.
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