Although the Pittsburgh Steelers are all the time within the hunt, the staff hasn’t gained the AFC North since 2020. It marks their longest drought in a long time. Analysts Bucky Brooks and Lance Zierlein don’t suppose Pittsburgh is the most important challenger to the Baltimore Ravens’ crown. As an alternative, the Cincinnati Bengals obtained the nod over the Steelers.
Zierlein credited the Steelers’ stable draft class, however the query at quarterback caps the staff’s ceiling.
“I don’t know what they’re doing at quarterback over there,” Zierlein advised Brooks on the Transfer the Sticks podcast. “And till Aaron Rodgers will get there, I believe it’s important to say the Bengals.”
Pittsburgh stays in limbo and is ready on Rodgers’ phrase. Confidence from the staff and media insiders means that Rodgers remains to be more likely to signal, however nothing is completed till he formally indicators a contract. He’s as unpredictable as any participant in soccer, and even when Rodgers finally indicators, getting a deal finished earlier than OTAs is essential.
The Bengals spent their offseason sources inking stud receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to long-term offers. Although quiet including in free company, they used the draft to inventory the cabinets defensively and alongside the inside offensive line. Texas A&M’s Shemart Stewart was chosen within the first spherical whereas Cincinnati added two off-ball linebackers (Demetrius Knight, Barrett Carter) and a number of offensive linemen (Dylan Fairchild, Jalen Rivers). The Bengals and Steelers had the identical common draft plan – beef up the trenches and enhance the entrance seven.
“This offense is so good, these younger guys taking part in below [defensive coordinator] Al Golden ought to have the ability to make sufficient performs to assist this protection again on observe.”
Habitually gradual starters, the Bengals can’t get off to a different disappointing begin. Ought to they keep away from that, a high-powered offense coupled with even a median protection can put them in division title rivalry.
“The Bengals, to me, are the staff who can shut floor,” Brooks stated.
Pittsburgh’s power has been in its divisional play and skill to win shut video games. The Steelers have completed .500 or higher versus the North for over a decade, holders of the NFL’s longest lively streak in-division. And no staff has a better profitable share in one-score video games than the Steelers in the course of the Mike Tomlin period.
Combining the 2, Pittsburgh is 39-22-1 (.637) in one-score video games in opposition to the AFC North since 2007. Spectacular as that’s, the Steelers have nonetheless struggled to recover from the hump. To seize the division, to win a playoff sport. Zierlein’s and Brooks’ takes could not sit nicely with Steelers followers, but it surely’s exhausting accountable them for favoring the Bengals.
