The AFC North runs through Pittsburgh in the second half of the 2024 season—or perhaps, the Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin run through the AFC North. Over the final eight weeks of the season, the Steelers play the entirety of their divisional slate. All six games against their three divisional rivals take place between November 17 and January 5.
Steelers fans have certainly voiced their opinion about this, but the players are not concerned. Defensive captain Cameron Heyward already made it clear that he doesn’t care what the schedule looks like. Fellow lineman Breiden Fehoko also expressed optimism they will rise to the challenge—because of Mike Tomlin.
“All the Pittsburgh fans are mad a little bit about having your first divisional game Week 11, or after that,” he told 92.7’s Gabe Kuhns. “But the way the Pittsburgh Steelers and the way Coach [Tomlin] has approached division games, I think they should be confident about it. I think they should have the utmost regard about him doing his best job going into it.”
Tomlin’s Steelers, after all, went 5-1 against the AFC North last year. Their only loss was to the Cleveland Browns—while they started a fifth-round rookie quarterback. That loss to Dorian Thompson-Robinson preceded Matt Canada’s firing, however, so it served its purpose in the long run.
While they finished 5-1 in the division last year, however, the entire AFC North went 3-3 in divisional play. Everybody lost to everybody once in a rare display of true parity. The truth is they’ve finished 3-3 in the division most years since 2018 after sweeping the AFC North in 2017. Tomlin finished 4-2 once since then, and then last year with their best mark since 2017 at 5-1.
And the 2024 season may prove the best year ever for the AFC North, potentially, if everybody stays healthy. Every team in the division posted a winning record, with three advancing to the postseason. You can hardly do much better, especially considering the Baltimore Ravens had the top seed.
The thing about the schedule is that me, you, Tomlin, and everybody else knew the Pittsburgh Steelers would have a grind through the AFC North in 2024, perhaps for years now. None of their division rivals are far off where we knew they would be now. What we didn’t know is that they would have to play all of those games in such a condensed timeframe.
Does the density of those games make the schedule more difficult when we knew since January who their opponents were? Perhaps it does, especially if they’re dealing with significant injuries during that time.
Or perhaps it serves as a rallying point for the team. They understand the challenge that stretch poses, and Mike Tomlin will be sure to remind them frequently along the way. They always prioritize winning the division, and he will drive home the message that they can win the division over the final two months of the season.
But just in case, Tomlin and the Steelers better stack up some wins in the first half of the year. They’ll want as much a cushion as possible to compete in the toughest division in football.
