For much of the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the NFL’s most dominant teams. However, they were outclassed against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday in a 27-13 loss. They created some sparks, but the Steelers couldn’t ever really get into a rhythm. Unfortunately, they can’t take much time to lick their wounds. They’re on a short week, staring down a game at Baltimore with super-sized AFC North implications. Former NFL offensive lineman Mark Schlereth doesn’t believe the Steelers can get the job done, though.
“They can’t win the Super Bowl,” Schlereth said Monday on FS1’s Breakfast Ball. “I’ll take it a step further. I don’t think they can win their division. I don’t think they win this division.
“You look at the Steelers, they’ve got Baltimore left, they’ve got Cincinnati, they’ve got Kansas City. They’re in that three games in 11 days scenario. I don’t think they’re gonna win their division.”
It might be a slight overreaction to say the Steelers won’t win the AFC North. If they continue to play like they did against the Eagles, their chances would be slim. However, there’s no guarantee they’ll continue to play like that. The Steelers seemed like the worse team the first time they played the Ravens this season, and they managed to prove that narrative wrong.
The Steelers could be in a worse spot during this matchup against the Ravens. The status of several key players is up in the air. T.J. Watt rolled his ankle late against the Eagles. George Pickens and DeShon Elliott have been nursing hamstring injuries. Donte Jackson is dealing with back spasms. The Steelers might not be at full strength in this physical AFC North battle.
This game will also take place in Baltimore, which could make all the difference for both teams. Although they’re ahead of the Ravens in the division, the Steelers’ lead is just one game, and they are facing an uphill battle this week.
Even if the Steelers lose Saturday, they can still win the AFC North. It won’t be ideal, especially because they play the Kansas City Chiefs after a quick turnaround, but they’ll still have a path to the division title. They could lose to the Ravens and Chiefs, but if they beat the Cincinnati Bengals to end the season, they could still win their first AFC North title since 2020.
Hopefully the Steelers don’t need to worry about any of that. If they take care of business against the Ravens, they’ll prove Schlereth wrong. Losing would start to put pressure on them, but they’ve been better than the Ravens throughout this season. One loss to the Eagles doesn’t sink their hopes to win their division.
