Analysis: Steelers the favorites to win AFC North, but still control their own destiny
PITTSBURGH — It sounds a bit outlandish, but the AFC North is still the Steelers’ to lose.
Despite falling in four of their last five games, the Steelers are the favorites to win the AFC North and earn the division’s likely lone playoff bid. With a win over Cleveland and a Baltimore loss on Sunday, the Steelers moved back into a tie with the Ravens for first place in the division.
It’s reality that there likely will only be one playoff team out of the AFC North. In the AFC West, the Raiders, Broncos and Chiefs are all already at seven wins, and it appears the second and third place finishers in that division will garner both wild-card spots.
That being said, the Steelers control their own destiny. They still have one games against the Ravens, Bengals and Browns left on the docket, and all six of their remaining opponents hold a combined record of 25-35-1, with only the New York Giants above .500.
The latter stretch of the season is much tougher sledding for the Ravens, who still have games meetings with the Patriots (8-2), Dolphins (6-4), Eagles (5-5) before facing the Steelers on Christmas Day.
That Dec. 25 matchup may decide the division.
A 24-9 win over the lowly 0-11 Browns isn’t a true barometer to determine if this team has improved upon the struggles that hampered them during the four-game losing streak. But the Steelers’ offensive inconsistency, lack of detail, missed assignments, poor run defense/pass rush and unwarranted penalties will be put to a tougher test Thursday night against the Colts.
The Colts are very much like the Steelers: an underperforming team with an elite quarterback that had preseason expectations a lot higher than their 5-5 record shows. Andrew Luck arguably is the best quarterback the Steelers defense has had to face so far. Lucas Oil Stadium and its dome infrastructure in a prime-time matchup on Thanksgiving will be the loudest road environment the Steelers have played in to date.
And the Colts have just as much to play for as the Steelers while they attempt to catch the 6-3 Texans who are first in the AFC South. But the Colts’ poor defense, ranked last against the pass (285 yards allowed per game) and 23rd against the run (113.1 yards).
Ben Roethlisberger and Steelers offense should have a big game against this unit. If they don’t, there are some serious issues that will need to be addressed.
Because of the four-game skid, every game has turned into a must-win scenario for the Steelers, and this one is next in line. While the Steelers face the Colts, the Ravens likely will beat a sliding Bengals team this week that just lost two its top offensive players — AJ Green and Gio Bernard — to injuries. If the Steelers fall one-game behind in the division lead after this week, their situation would turn incrementally tougher with toss-up games against the 6-4 Giants (on a five game win-streak) and 5-5 Bills following. Though with the strength of their schedule and poor offense, the Ravens shouldn’t finish with more than three wins in their final six games.
Thanksgiving night will give a clear indication of how prepared the Steelers are for a late-season playoff push. But regardless, it appears it’s going to come down to the wire.