With half of this season gone, the Pittsburgh Steelers are currently the best team in the AFC North. At least, that’s what their record says. Some people would still argue that the Baltimore Ravens are better than them. Despite their impressive record, it’s easy to find people who don’t think the Steelers are a real contender. That includes former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
“I can’t put the Steelers in the same category as Baltimore or the Bills yet,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his podcast, Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger. “They need to go out in this next stretch of games where they have Washington coming in, and I think it’s Baltimore.
“They have a stretch where if they go out and show that they can beat these teams, these true contenders, I think Washington is a contender, [Jayden] Daniels is playing good; if they can go show that they belong, I’ll move them up my list. But right now, I have them at four or five in the AFC.”
That’s not unfair for Roethlisberger to say. The Steelers haven’t looked as dominant as the Ravens or Bills have been at times. They’ve been rolling recently, but it’s not like their quality of competition has been very high. Teams like the New York Jets or New York Giants aren’t exactly the cream of the crop.
Still, the Steelers don’t choose who they play every week. All they can do is beat the teams in front of them, and they’ve done that, no matter how close some of the games have been.
Roethlisberger is likely saying this because those other teams have franchise quarterbacks. Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are some of the best quarterbacks in the league. Their teams may be lacking in some areas, but because of their unique talents, they can overcome those issues.
On the other hand, Russell Wilson has only played in two games this season. He’s looked better than expected in both outings, but it’s still a small sample size. It’s not crazy not to label the Steelers as Super Bowl contenders yet.
Like Roethlisberger says, though, they can prove him wrong this week. The Washington Commanders are one of the best teams in the NFL, and Daniels, a rookie quarterback, looks like a superstar. If the Steelers can smother that offense and put up enough points to win, that should send a message.
It’s not like teams like the Ravens or Bills have looked perfect, either. Earlier this year, the Ravens lost to the lowly Las Vegas Raiders, and the Bills also got dominated by the Ravens. On the right day, the Steelers could probably beat either of those teams. Even if they aren’t on the same tier as them yet, they’ll have opportunities to change that narrative.
