While the rest of the AFC North seems to be imploding due to injuries and poor play, the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to fly under the radar, stacking wins, taking care of business and putting themselves in a good position early in the season.
Even while they were idle during a much-needed Week 5 bye, they extended their lead in the rugged division, and now face a pair of AFC North games in Weeks 6 and 7 against the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals, getting an opportunity to extend their lead further.
They can do so while battling their own injury issues, on top of still getting familiar with a bunch of new faces and working out the kinks on both sides of the football from a schematic and personnel standpoint. While others are attempting to do the same, they aren’t winning like the Steelers, are 3-1 on the season.
September football has come and gone, and the Steelers are geared up for the stretch run. That has them as the “most interesting” team in the AFC North for Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt. He remains bought into the Steelers as a playoff team, something he’s felt good about since the offseason — and every year, for that matter.
“My team that’s most interesting in the AFC North, the team that is just winning the AFC North, the Steelers are not spoken of. They’re just off of a bye, they’re 3-1, which, guys, in that division with those quarterbacks is nine in one,” Brandt said, according to video via GMFB. “It’s just casually, Aaron Rodgers is gonna go right to the playoffs, like I said all preseason that the Steelers will do. Will they lose in the Wild Card round? Probably. But who cares? They are winning it right now. Everything’s working.
“There’s no discord, there’s no fighting. Their wide receivers and the quarterbacks get along fine.”
Sure, it hasn’t been the smoothest start to the season, from the struggles on the defensive side of the football, to issues running the ball consistently and protecting the quarterback. But they’re winning, doing what the Steelers do under Mike Tomlin: find a way to win ugly games.
You can argue all you want about it how it might not be sustainable, and when the playoffs start they’ll get blown out like they usually have in recent years. But there’s one clear fact about this team: they’re playing complementary football and winning. Doing that while still adjusting to each other and improving week after week is huge.
How they stack up against the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills and more remains to be seen. They’ll get a shot at two of those AFC foes later this season. But right now, the Steelers are on top of the AFC North, and have a chance to really pull away, taking advantage of injuries and bad play elsewhere.
“Three and one. If that was on the table before the season, every single Steelers fan would’ve taken it and everything’s going swimmingly,” Brandt said of the Steelers. “So I know it’s not that interesting, but it is very successful so far.”
It is very successful. The Steelers aren’t talked about all that much, and that’s just the way they like it. There’s no drama, no issues with how Rodgers has adapted to Pittsburgh. DK Metcalf isn’t demanding the football and making a big stink on the field, and Jalen Ramsey has been a good leader for the secondary.
It’s all going according to plan for the Black and Gold under Tomlin. It’s not flashy, but it’s getting the job done. That’s all that matters right now.
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