The Steelers are a good bet to win the AFC North for the first time since 2020. They’re also as good of a bet to be one-and-done in the playoffs for the franchise’s sixth consecutive postseason appearance.
Pittsburgh sits atop the division at 4–2 following a 33–31 loss to the Bengals on Thursday night at Paycor Stadium, on a night when the defense gave up 470 yards to a Joe Flacco–led attack. Ja’Marr Chase was dominant with a career best 16 receptions for 161 yards and a touchdown, while Flacco threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns in his second start for Cincinnati.
This offseason, Pittsburgh revamped its roster. General manager Omar Khan signed Aaron Rodgers to a one-year, $13.65 million deal while also trading a second-round pick for receiver DK Metcalf, whom he gave a $150 million extension. Khan also dealt away mercurial wideout George Pickens, sending him to the Cowboys for a third-round selection.
Defensively, Khan made the rare player-for-player swap in June by trading safety Minkah Fitzpatrick back to the Dolphins in exchange for corner Jalen Ramsey.
Depending on one’s perspective, Khan’s moves were either inspired or inspiring inertia. So far, it appears to be the latter.
Going into Week 7, the Steelers ranked 23rd in yards per play (5.1) while Rodgers was 34th among 34 qualifying quarterbacks in intended air yards per attempt (5.3). Only Dillon Gabriel and Kyler Murray were even within 1.4 yards of Rodgers’s figure. When he completes passes, the 41-year-old is averaging a putrid 2.4 air yards per attempt, tied with Gabriel for the league’s lowest.
On the ground, Pittsburgh has also been largely anemic. The Steelers came into the night ranking 29th with 84.0 rushing yards per game. Pittsburgh has tried to find success with Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell after allowing Najee Harris to leave in free agency, but the duo was averaging 3.7 yards per carry before finding success against the Bengals, carrying 19 times for 141 yards. On a bad night, it’s a silver lining.
All of it adds up to a lackluster offense relying on the defense to make it work. However, coordinator Teryl Austin’s group hasn’t been much better in a litany of areas. Coming into Thursday, Pittsburgh ranked 25th overall (355.6 yards allowed per game) and 16th in scoring (21.4 points/game). The only area of strength is the pass rush, which sits fourth in pressure rate (29.5%) and second in sacks (20) behind edge rushers Nick Herbig and T.J. Watt.
To this point, the saving grace has been playing against poor quarterbacks. The Steelers have wins over Carson Wentz, Justin Fields, Drake Maye and Gabriel. Remove Maye, and those quarterbacks have a record of 2–8 this year as starters. In the case of Maye, he threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns against Pittsburgh, but was undone by the Patriots committing five turnovers in a 21–14 Week 3 loss.
At some point, that luck is going to run out for a team that has now been outgained in total yards in five out of six weeks. Going forward, the Steelers have games against quality teams and quarterbacks including the Lions (Jared Goff), Packers (Jordan Love), Chargers (Justin Herbert), Colts (Daniel Jones), Bills (Josh Allen) and the Ravens, potentially twice with Lamar Jackson in Weeks 14 and 18.
The good news? Pittsburgh is in a division that has a pair of one-win teams in the Browns and Ravens, along with a Bengals team that has a defense thinner than paper in the rain. Additionally, the AFC as a whole is relatively weak, with the Chiefs currently outside the playoff picture at 3–3 and the Bills riding a two-game losing streak at 4–2. Indianapolis is 5–1, but it’s fair to wonder about the Colts’ staying power with Jones at the helm and wins over teams with a combined 10–20 record.
Yet at some point, a team or two, whether out of Kansas City, Buffalo or elsewhere, will emerge as a power as the season churns on. Perhaps it’ll be the Steelers if Rodgers can stretch the field more and the defense starts to cover better with a pass defense allowing 245 yards per game entering Week 6, ranking 27th.
But for Pittsburgh to be a viable contender, the quarterback must be more threatening. The run game has to improve. The defense has to start playing significantly better, especially in the secondary. It’s a lot to ask for. It’s a lot to change.
Pittsburgh is in a strong position to win the AFC North. But to finally win a game in January, the Steelers must be better than their current edition has been.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steelers Sit Atop a Depleted AFC North, but Still Need Fixing .