The Pittsburgh Steelers’ hold on the AFC North is no longer after a disappointing 20-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. After having firm control of the division through the first three weeks, back-to-back losses opened the door for the Baltimore Ravens to take the top spot.
Both teams are 3-2, but the Ravens secured a division win over the Cincinnati Bengals earlier on Sunday in a thrilling overtime victory.
A little over a week ago, we were talking about the Steelers being undefeated and Justin Fields being the permanent starter even after Russell Wilson returns. After his performance tonight, a 15-for-27 outing with 131 passing yards and two touchdowns, it will be interesting to see how the Steelers approach the upcoming week. Wilson should be good to go next weekend, and the NBC broadcast confirmed that he should be available. This seems like a natural breaking point to make the transition back to Wilson to at least see if he can spark the suddenly floundering offense.
The Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns are both 1-4, but those are vastly different 1-4 records. The Bengals look like a team that will be back in the mix as the season goes on, while the Browns look like they are down for the count and ready to hold down the bottom of the NFL standings for the rest of the season.
The Steelers will have an opportunity to get back on track against the Las Vegas Raiders next week, but the Ravens are in control as long as they keep winning with no divisional games on the Steelers’ schedule until Week 11 when the Steelers and Ravens play in Pittsburgh.
The back eight weeks of the Steelers’ schedule is tough, so the fact that they are trending back toward .500 is not a great sign after such a hot start.
