The Cincinnati Bengals have won the AFC North in each of the past two years. On top of that, they proceeded to follow that up with deep postseason runs, notching five playoff victories in that span—more than the Pittsburgh Steelers have tallied in the past dozen years.
But let’s not jump the gun, NFL Network analyst David Carr says. The AFC North will be hotly contested this year, he believes, and the Steelers will be in the thick of things when all is said and done.
“This division is absolutely up for grabs”, he said via NFL Total Access. “Don’t just give it to the Cincinnati Bengals. Baltimore’s gotten better. Cleveland’s gonna be better. This is gonna be a great division. It’s gonna be fun to watch, and Pittsburgh’s gonna be right there at the end”.
What exactly gives him that confidence? Well, for one thing, he believes that they have the quarterback position solidified with Kenny Pickett. “Ben [Roethlisberger] came in and then, boom, there you go, off to the Super Bowls. And I think that that’s what they’ve kind of found in Kenny Pickett”, he said. “[Pickett] is a guy that you can hang your hat on and now you have your guy”.
The Steelers waited a few games last season before putting their guy into play. Drafted 20th overall in the first round, Pickett sat on the bench behind Mitch Trubisky before being thrown into the fire at halftime in week four, and neither side has looked back since. Especially not since the bye week, marking the turning point of the season.
“Remember the Steelers at the end of the season really started playing good football”, Carr said. “They felt like they could beat anybody. And what does that do? That catapults you into the offseason, gives you hope. Your guys get excited, guys put in more work. There’s a sense of, ‘We can actually do this thing’”.
As you likely know if you’re reading this, Pittsburgh went on a 7-2 run at the end of last season after beginning the year 2-6. They finished with a 9-8 record and were in playoff contention going into the final week of the season, but they didn’t quite get all the help they needed.
On paper, though, every team in the AFC North could, maybe even should be better than they were last year, including the Bengals, who have continued to tweak and improve their offensive line. The Baltimore Ravens have finally surrounded Lamar Jackson with playmakers, and the Cleveland Browns will actually get a full season out of their quarterback this time around.
It should be a black and blue year for the AFC North, but that’s what the Steelers are built for. I do think they very much can be in the thick of things by the time the season is over. But if they’re going to make a run for it, they’re going to have to capitalize on as many divisional matchups as they can manage.
