The Pittsburgh Steelers sit in an excellent position right now. At 3-1, they’ve got a clear lead on the rest of the AFC North. The favorite in the division, the Baltimore Ravens, are now 1-4, with Lamar Jackson still nursing an injury. The Cleveland Browns are tied with them in last place, and the Cincinnati Bengals have lost three games in a row, now holding a 2-3 record. In the eyes of former Steelers OL Trai Essex, the Steelers must take advantage of their next two games, against Cleveland and Cincinnati.
“They have no choice,” Essex said Tuesday on 93.7 The Fan. “If they wanna make any noise this year, they have to take advantage of this stretch. Cleveland didn’t take a bye coming home from London. We get them at home, division game, that’s fortuitous for us. Obviously, with Cincinnati and their struggles with Jake Browning, this is a legit chance to go 6-1, and really take hold of the AFC North, because we got a tough stretch down the end… The Steelers have to take advantage of this stretch. They’ve been gifted by the schedule gods.”
It’s a nice set of games ahead of them. While the Browns have a great defense, their offense has struggled noticeably. Joe Flacco was bad to start the year, which led Cleveland to start rookie Dillion Gabriel last week. He mostly played well in his first start, but he will face the same struggles as other rookies. It’s a game the Steelers should win, especially at home.
Ironically, the Browns just traded Flacco to the team the Steelers play after them. Filling in for Joe Burrow, Jake Browning has been less than impressive. That led to the Bengals trading for Flacco on Tuesday, with him presumably becoming their starter. After starting 2-0, the Bengals nosedived with three straight losses.
If the Steelers take care of business the next two weeks, as they should, they’ll be 5-1. That would put them at least three games over the Ravens and extend their leads over the Bengals and Browns, too. However, the Steelers have also been in this situation before. Last year, they held a multiple-game lead on the division late in the year, losing their last four to choke that lead away.
This season’s schedule presents a similar challenge. Still, this could finally be the year the Steelers win the AFC North. They’ve lost the division for four consecutive years. It feels like forever since there’s been a playoff game at Acrisure Stadium. If the Steelers win their next two games, that looks like much more of a reality.
