Steelers Have Huge Opportunity in AFC North

As things currently stand, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a perfect opportunity to put plenty of distance between themselves and the rest of the AFC North.

After a rusty start to the season that saw it just barely scrape by against the New York Jets in Week 1 before falling in ugly fashion to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2, Pittsburgh forced five turnovers in a Week 3 victory over the New England Patriots and turned in its best all-around performance of the campaign thus far in a Week 4 win at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland against the Minnesota Vikings.

Sep 28, 2025; Dublin, Ireland; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) and coach Mike Tomlin shake hands after an NFL International Series game against the Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

AFC North Leaders

The Steelers, now sitting at 3-1 on the year, are in sole possession of first place in the division. Despite an active offseason that saw them bring in loads of proven veteran talent with the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Jalen Ramsey, DK Metcalf, Darius Slay Jr. and Jonnu Smith, among others, they were still largely projected to be the third-best team in the AFC North behind the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.

Given how the first quarter of the season has played out, though, Pittsburgh is leaps and bounds ahead of its division rivals at this point in time.

Injuries Across the Division

The Ravens, much like the Steelers, have dealt with a laundry list of injuries, though the former has been hit harder thus far. Two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson is reportedly set to miss several weeks with a hamstring injury, as are a pair of star defenders in cornerback Marlon Humphrey and linebacker Roquan Smith with their respective ailments while defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike will be sidelined for the rest of the season with a neck injury. All of that comes as Baltimore, sitting at 1-3, is off to its worst start since 2015.

Sep 28, 2025; Dublin, Ireland; Pittsburgh Steelers safety Deshon Elliott (25) reacts after an interception on a pass thrown by Minnesota Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz (11) during the second quarter during an NFL International Series game at Croke Park. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Cincinnati, on the other hand, has lost two-straight noncompetitive contests without star signal caller Joe Burrow, who is expected to be out for three months with turf toe, and now owns a 2-2 record.

As for the Cleveland Browns, they were never expected to contend for a playoff spot this season, much less the AFC North title. While they came away with an impressive Week 3 victory over the Green Bay Packers, they too are 1-3 and are banged up themselves, particularly at the wide receiver position.

Steelers Chances

Pittsburgh, as mentioned before, is working through its own injury issues, but the team has seemed to turn a corner over the last few weeks.

With that being said, however, the Steelers have yet to play a divisional game, so it's far too early to declare them the runaway favorites. After all, they were 10-3 entering Week 15 last season and seemed destined to host a playoff game at Acrisure Stadium before losing the final four contests of the regular season, allowing Baltimore to both overtake them for first place and defeat them in the Wild Card round.

It's been a long time since the division was this weak, though, and Pittsburgh has a real chance to take an insurmountable lead and win it for the first time since 2020.

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