The Pittsburgh Steelers squandered a golden opportunity to run away with the AFC North division. They were 4-1 to start the season, while the rest of the division struggled mightily. The Baltimore Ravens were notoriously bad to start the year, the Cincinnati Bengals lost Joe Burrow early in the season due to an injury, and the Cleveland Browns are, well, the Cleveland Browns.
But now, the Steelers have gone 2-5 since after Sunday.
The Steelers lost 26-7 to the Buffalo Bills, despite leading the way for the most part in the first half. The defense failed to stop Buffalo's rushing attack, as they allowed 249 yards on 51 carries, the most ever allowed by the Steelers at home in a game. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who played through fractures in his left wrist, left briefly after taking a hit from Joey Bosa. Overall, Pittsburgh's offense gained just 166 yards on 43 plays.
Now, the Steelers currently sit at 6-6, and their once safe division lead is no more. Let's take a look at the AFC playoff picture after Pittsburgh's loss to Buffalo.
NFL Playoff Picture right now: Steelers' AFC North lead is no more after loss to Bills
Let's take a look at the updated AFC playoff picture. Spoiler alert: the Steelers aren't in a playoff spot. Instead, it's the Baltimore Ravens.
Seed | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
No. 1 | New England Patriots | 10-2 |
No. 2 | Denver Broncos | 9-2 |
No. 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 8-4 |
No. 4 | Baltimore Ravens | 6-6 |
No. 5 | Los Angeles Chargers | 8-4 |
No. 6 | Indianapolis Colts | 8-4 |
No. 7 | Buffalo Bills | 8-4 |
The Ravens now have the division lead, despite losing on Thanksgiving to the Cincinnati Bengals. That's because the Ravens hold the tiebreaker for record in common teams. Because of that, the Steelers now fall down to the No. 9 spot in the AFC, behind the Houston Texans, who are 7-5.
This is what the first round matchups would look like if the season ended today (the Patriots would have a bye due to having the best record in the AFC):
- (No. 2) Denver Broncos vs. (No. 7) Buffalo Bills
- (No. 3) Jacksonville Jaguars vs. (No. 6) Indianapolis Colts
- (No. 4) Baltimore Ravens vs. (No. 5) Los Angeles Chargers
Not only do the Steelers have to worry about the Ravens, but also the Bengals, who are just two games back of both teams with Burrow returning this past Thursday. So, they need to start stacking wins.
The division could very well come down to the Steelers vs. Ravens head-to-head games in Weeks 14 and 18. In between those head-to-head contests are games against the Miami Dolphins (5-7), Detroit Lions (7-5), and the Browns (3-9).
The Steelers could not afford to lose, and unfortunately for them, they no-showed against a playoff contender.