Are The Steelers Actual Contenders?

What Happened: The Pittsburgh Steelers are inevitable.

It certainly feels that way to football fans at this point, who have watched Mike Tomlin work the sidelines for 19 seasons. He’s led his team to two Super Bowls, 12 postseason appearances, and famously has never had a losing season.

With last night’s win over the Miami Dolphins, the Black and Gold sit atop the AFC North, one game separating them from the Baltimore Ravens. Crucially, these teams will meet in Week 18, and there’s a good chance that game will determine the division’s winner and possibly lone playoff representative.

Why You Care: Even if the Steelers do qualify for the postseason, are they an actual threat once in? After all, Tomlin hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season; it’s been five straight one-and-done playoff appearances since then.

In Pittsburgh’s favor? The state of the rest of the AFC. The Chiefs have already bowed out of contention, as have the Joe Burrow-led Bengals. Getting two of the game’s elite QBs out of the way sure doesn’t hurt. The Broncos have won 11 straight and are 12-2, but just two of their wins have come by more than eight points. If you trust Bo Nix to deliver a Super Bowl, you have more faith in him than I do.

Josh Allen and the Bills should scare anyone based on their track record, and the Patriots have already gotten back to their winning ways under new coach Mike Vrabel and with MVP contender Drake Maye orchestrating the offense.

For the Steelers to be a true threat in January, two things would need to happen: first, T.J. Watt would need to return this season. Watt’s ability to disrupt opposing offenses can change a game in one play; no one else on the Steelers’ defense possesses that ability.

The other is Aaron Rodgers turning back the clock like he has the last two weeks. Last night, he completed 85.2% of his passes and threw two TDs without turning the ball over. Two weeks ago, he threw for a season-high 284 yards in a crucial win over Baltimore.

True Super Bowl contenders are typically judged first and foremost by who they line up at quarterback. It’s a QB-driven league - gone are the days of Trent Dilfer handoff-ing his way to a title. Tomlin won’t be expecting MVP-level play from Rodgers anymore, but in a wide-open AFC, even glimpses of Rodgers’ old magic means we can’t quite count out the Steelers yet. Again.