Even with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ win over the Baltimore Ravens Sunday, the battle for the AFC North is going to come down to the wire. And cameras will be there to capture it all. For the first time, HBO’s Hard Knocks is featuring not just a team but a division, following the AFC North the rest of the season and throughout the playoffs. On Tuesday, HBO aired its first trailer for the series.
In it are a handful of Steelers clips. Some pregame, some sideline, and one from a practice where Mike Tomlin can be overheard calling out the need to remain aggressive. The Hard Knocks trailer mostly shows in-stadium action and less behind-the-scenes, the staple and hallmark of what’s made the show so popular. It’s not clear how much of the documentary will be a long-form sizzle reel and how much of the episodes will be slowed down to examine what’s happening behind closed doors. With four teams and plenty of storylines to cover, it’s a tough task.
After all four AFC North teams finished above .500 last year, it looks likely that only two will in 2024. What was viewed as a four-team race in the summer has been cut in half. The Cleveland Browns’ season has gone belly-up after QB Deshaun Watson’s continued struggles and a defense that’s playing far worse than 2023. The Cincinnati Bengals got off to another ugly start and haven’t had the defense to climb out of a hole, losing a crucial heartbreaker Sunday night to the Los Angeles Chargers. At 4-7, they’ll have to run the table to even angle for an AFC Wild Card berth.
Pittsburgh sits atop the AFC North at 8-2 after securing a big 18-16 win Sunday over the Baltimore Ravens. At 7-4, the Ravens aren’t out of the picture but have plenty of catching up to do.
Cameras have been in the Steelers’ building since before the bye with filming starting when the team returned. The first full episode will debut Dec. 3 at 9 PM/EST on HBO/Max.
