The Steelers are First Place in the AFC North, As God Intended

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 18-10 on Sunday.

To quote Bill Cowher, “It was no Mozart.”

Whether you spent your Sunday listening to your favorite DaVinci symphony, or admiring your favorite Mozart painting, nothing was more satisfying than watching the Steelers secure a victory while every other AFC North team fell to 0-1.

Sure, the Steelers didn’t look perfect, more to come on that.  But they got a much needed victory, and frankly looked like a more competent offense than they have since Ben Roethlisberger retired. 

It was an ugly win, maybe a Mike Tomlin “standard” win.

There is a lot to take away from week 1, but the main thing I took away was this, the Steelers can absolutely win the AFC North Division this year.

I’m not saying it will happen, because the Steelers certainly have their flaws.  But so do the other three teams in the division.  Let's go through these beauty pageant contestants from least warts to most.

The Baltimore Ravens.

Yes, they lost to the defending back to back Super Bowl Champions.  Yes, they lost by a toe.  Yes, Lamar Jackson is super human.  But, did any part of the Baltimore Ravens offense scare you other than Lamar Jackson?

Let me clarify, does the Ravens offense, outside of Lamar Jackson’s legs, scare you?

To me the answer is no.  In fact, I felt that Thursday was a great example of how brutal Lamar Jackson might become once he is no longer as fleet of foot as he is now.  Missing open receivers is his specialty.

The Ravens’ offensive line looked like a mess.  Their defense was nothing to write home about. 

Plus the Steelers own Lamar Jackson.  Advantage Steelers.

The Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals sure Bungled their opening game in a way that only the Bengals could.

What do we make of this franchise?  They almost won a Super Bowl with Joe Burrow.  When not injured, he is a stud.  They seem to have all the pieces in place, but can never put it together.

Yesterday the Bengals went out and busted probably 50% of the survivor pools out there.  They laid an absolute egg against the hapless Patriots.  The Patriots are one of the favorites to possibly land the 1st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.  What in the world are the Bengals doing losing to them, at home, on opening day?

The Bengals still probably are the favorite to win the division in my opinion. 

But the Bengals Bungle everything, and Burrow’s health is always a concern.  I like the consistent Steelers chances against them.

Then we have the Cleveland Browns.

Oh, do we love the Cleveland Browns.  They are the gift that keeps on giving.

They finally had a franchise quarterback, albeit probably not the guy to lead you to a Super Bowl, but they had a guy in Baker Mayfield.  Mayfield could make you a contender and get you in the playoffs year in and year out.  He made the Cleveland Browns appear like a legitimate NFL Franchise.

What did they do?  Sent him away for nothing. Then traded away their future for a guy, Deshaun Watson, who had shown flashes, but was ultimately unproven, and unworthy of the king’s ransom they paid for him.

Deshaun Watson made the entire city of Cleveland beg for the days of Trent Dilfer to come back.  At least with Dilfer, you knew there was no hope.  With Watson there is this false sense of superiority that the Browns faithful have, only to be let down again and again.

Being let down is Cleveland’s largest export. 

The Indians (Guardians) have done nothing but let them down for 70 years.  The Browns are an annual embarrassment.  The only time they tasted success was an NBA Championship when local turncoat, Lebron James, came back to win them a championship.  Only to become a turncoat again and leave them for the Lakers.

Another let down in Cleveland. 

Whether it's their sports teams, their river catching fire, or their 1986 Balloonfest (you need to look that one up, trust me).  They are embarrassing more often than they are not.

So it's fitting that they got themselves in this Deshaun Watson debacle right when they were about to have it all figured out.   Advantage Steelers.

So this brings us back to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Are they Super Bowl contenders?  Most likely no.

Are they AFC North contenders?  Most likely yes.

Sunday’s win in Atlanta was by no means perfect.  They do need to score touchdowns after all.  But their defense was elite, and their offense was coherent.  That combination could get them to 12 wins and a division title this year.

12 wins are you crazy?

No, I’m not.  They won 10 games last year without an NFL level QB playing until week 16.  If Mason Rudolph plays half of the season, they certainly win 12 games last year.

Don’t believe me?  Look at the losses to Cleveland, New England and Indianapolis.  If Mason Rudolph starts those games, he probably goes 2-1.  Hell, he might have gone 3-0.

So what does an NFL QB mean for the Steelers in 2024?  Well, the offense under Arthur Smith looks like a major upgrade, even with backup Justin Fields conservative approach.  

If Russell Wilson can play as well as he did last year in Denver (26 Touchdown Passes), this offense might score 21 points a game.  Does that make them Super Bowl contenders?  Probably not. 

If Russell Wilson can return to his all pro form and they score 24 points a game.  Would that make them Super Bowl contenders?  With this defense, maybe.

Which is more likely?  I would put my money on the former not the latter, but crazier things have happened.

All of this is to say that, regardless of if the Steelers are contenders for a Super Bowl or not.  As they are currently constructed and positioned, they are contenders in the AFC North.

Maybe they will win the division, maybe they won’t.  Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. 

Well nothing is guaranteed except for Mike Tomlin having his “standard” non-losing season.  

That you can apparently take to the bank, or hang it in the Louvre, beside your favorite Mozart.