The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't always appeared to be a strong team in the first quarter of the season. They've struggled on both sides of the football and have been outpaced by their opponents in terms of yardage and efficiency. But after Week 4, things couldn't look brighter.
The Steelers are coming off a win against the Minnesota Vikings, which looked more convincing than the 24-21 score would have suggested. Mike Tomlin's team now sits on a 3-1 record entering their early Week 5 bye (which couldn't come at a better time with all of the injuries the team is experiencing).
While Pittsburgh hardly resembles an elite team on paper, the team's path to a division title just got clearer after the meltdown from AFC North rivals that we just witnessed in Week 4.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in pole position to expand on AFC North lead
We never gave the Cleveland Browns much of a thought (and why would we). Though the Steelers can't take them lightly when they meet in Week 6 after the bye, Cleveland isn't a threat to win the division, and they suffered a blowout loss in Week 4. They now sit on a 1-3 record with the 31st-ranked scoring offense in the league (14 points per game).
However, the AFC North rivals we thought would be threatening before the season—the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals—are turning out to be anything but.
Let's start with the Ravens. Despite having a former MVP quarterback and an offense that can put up points with the best teams in the league, Baltimore's defense has been an absolute disaster this season. The Steelers caught a break now that star defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike is out for the season with a neck issue.
But that's just the tip of the iceberg of the Ravens' early-season collapse.
John Harbaugh's team is dead last in the NFL in points per game allowed (33.3), and they are coming off an embarrassing 37-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Now the Ravens sit on a 1-3 record that nobody expected, and they will face the Houston Texans and the LA Rams each of the next two weeks.
To make matters worse, Lamar Jackson is dealing with a hamstring issue, and even if he proves healthy enough to play, his mobility could be limited by the ailment. The Ravens already have a daunting road ahead of them after a poor start, and it's great news for Tomlin and the Steelers.
Then there's the Bengals—a team we thought was set to have one of the NFL's best offenses again in 2025. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, Joe Burrow's Grade 3 turf toe injury could shut him down for the season... and there's no hope without him.
Quarterback Jake Browning was only able to muster up a field goal drive in a Week 4 28-3 blowout loss to the Denver Broncos. The Bengals won't be a contender this season, and the Steelers will get to play them twice without their superstar quarterback.
We don't want to count our chickens before they hatch, but the stars are aligning for the Pittsburgh Steelers to make a serious run at the AFC North just a quarter of the way through the 2025 season. This team holds a comfortable lead over the Ravens, and the arrow is pointed up for the Steelers.