Want to know why the Pittsburgh Steelers have staying power? Why Mike Tomlin and the team, putting playoff struggles aside for a moment, are always in the hunt? They dominate the division. They get up for the big rivalry games and come out on top, creating critical separation in the standings and earning tiebreakers at the end of the year.
That’s shown in the data. Going down the research rabbit hole yesterday, I examined the last time each team had a losing record within the division. Spoiler alert: For the Steelers, you have to go back awhile.
Below is a table, by year, of the season each team finished below .500 in division play.
| Year With Last Sub. 500 Division Record | Teams |
|---|---|
| 2023 | NYJ, NE, CIN, TEN, LAC, WSH, MIN, CHI, CAR, SEA, ARI |
| 2022 | IND, DEN, NYG, NO, ATL, LAR |
| 2021 | BAL, JAC, DET, SF |
| 2020 | HOU, DAL, PHI |
| 2019 | MIA |
| 2018 | BUF, LVR, GB |
| 2017 | CLE |
| 2013 | KC |
| 2009 | PIT |
More than half the league has been below .500 in the last two years. Only seven teams haven’t had a losing record this decade. But no one has a longer streak than the Pittsburgh Steelers, who last finished sub-.500 against the AFC North in 2009, Mike Tomlin’s third NFL season. Pittsburgh finished 2-4 that year, though they still went 9-7 overall.
In fact, since the turn of the century, 2009 is the only year in which they had a losing record against the AFC North or AFC Central. Prior to ’09, their last such season came in 1999, one year before Kevin Colbert arrived on scene.
Hanging a banner for this stat isn’t the point. And it sounds similar to the national media’s obsession with Mike Tomlin’s “never had a losing season.” But going at least .500 in the division means you’re probably going to be in the hunt down the stretch. In a rough-and-tumble AFC North, division records are often the difference between those who advance to the playoffs and those who stay at home. Pittsburgh has been the most dominant team against their divisional foes, going 5-1 against the North in 2023 and above .500 in most of the last several seasons.
Often, they’re ugly wins. That happens playing the likes of the Ravens late in the season in bad weather. But all that matters against the AFC North is coming out ahead with the victory. Given the layout of the Steelers’ 2024 schedule, playing all six of their divisional games in the final eight weeks, there’s a chance Pittsburgh could go on a big-time run to close out the year.
