Are the Pittsburgh Steelers a good football team or a bad one? Well, a 4-2 record and sitting atop the AFC North would be points in the “good column.” But the defensive stats would be a major point in the “bad” column.
It’s hard to say whether the Steelers are good or bad. That’s precisely why Jared Dubin of CBSSports.com ranks the Steelers among “The Fringe” in the NFL.
“If the Steelers hadn’t lost to the Bengals this past week, they might be in the tier above this,” Dubin wrote. “But they get the Packers, Colts and Chargers in their next three games and — one way or another — things could look much different for them soon.”
The Steelers had a chance to take a commanding lead in the AFC North last Thursday when they played the Cincinnati Bengals. Had they won that game, they’d be 5-1. Instead, they lost and are barely ahead of the Bengals now.
The offense did its job as QB Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdown passes, and the ground game churned out a season-high 147 yards. But the defense couldn’t stop the run or cover anyone, giving up 33 points to QB Joe Flacco and company. The pass defense was terrible, allowing wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to run wild. The secondary is not living up to head coach Mike Tomlin’s expectations, but he’s not giving up on that group yet.
And it wasn’t just the pass defense that failed the Steelers last Thursday. Their run defense allowed 142 rushing yards, when the Bengals’ previous high this season was 85 yards against the Detroit Lions. And according to Tomlin, there were issues at all levels of the defense against the run. The Steelers need to fix their defense in order to right the ship.
Things aren’t going to get any easier, either. The Steelers host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. Then they face off against the top team in the AFC, the Daniel Jones-led Indianapolis Colts. And the Los Angeles Chargers are no cake walk. How well the Steelers fare in these next three games could either prove they can be contenders, or they could slip into the “Draft Preparations” tier.
All things considered, it makes sense that Dubin would not feel comfortable putting the Steelers higher than the “Fringe.” There are just too many issues, almost all on the defensive side, to feel really good about the Steelers. The Steelers are far from alone in that group, though.
“This 13-team bucket is the largest tier by far, comprising almost half the league,” Dubin wrote. “It’s full of OK teams with some major flaws that likely prevent them from being true contenders. They’re not quite getting ready for the draft just yet but also shouldn’t be selling playoff tickets and definitely shouldn’t be making hotel reservations in the Bay Area for Super Bowl LX.”
Funny enough, the Bengals are in that same group. So are the Baltimore Ravens. And obviously, one of those teams will be selling playoff tickets at the end of the season as the AFC North winner. But Dubin doesn’t appear to have any conviction in which team will win the division. And he probably doesn’t have any confidence that the division winner is going to go very far, either.
It’s hard to blame him. The Steelers lead the division at 4-2, but their defensive woes are well-documented. The Bengals beat the Steelers, but they’re only 3-4 on the season. And the 1-5 Ravens are ravaged by injuries. If the Steelers can get their defense playing well, things can absolutely change. But these next three games will go a long way toward determining whether the Steelers have a shot at any playoff success, or fans collectively turn their attentions to the 2026 NFL Draft.
