Bring it on: Steelers are built for AFC North play

For the Observer-Reporter

At 7-2, the Steelers are heading into what is supposed to be the most difficult portion of their schedule.

At least that's what we've been told over and over again.

The Steelers have all six of their AFC North games remaining, thanks to the NFL bending over backward to make things interesting for the folks at HBO and their "Hard Knocks" show that will highlight the four teams in the division over the final stretch of the season.

Just for kicks, the NFL gave the Steelers games against the Eagles and Chiefs mixed in with those AFC North opponents.

Here's the thing, the Steelers really don't care.

Oh, they weren't happy when the schedule was released. But in the grand scheme of things, not so much.

At least that's the way head coach Mike Tomlin looks at it.

"I don't care," Tomlin said earlier this week. "I'll play them whenever they schedule us. We've got no control over the schedule. Our goal is to beat everybody, but specifically week to week, we get singly focused on this week's opponent. And so I'd be making it up if I told you I cared about the schedule of when we face people. I don't."

Part of that is the natural bravado associated with reaching the peak of the sport. You can't go into any NFL game, whether you're a coach or player, and think you won't win. If you don't think you'll win, you lost.

But the other part of it is just extreme confidence in his team and its abilities. Why not? After all, the Steelers went 5-1 in the AFC North last season when all four teams in the division finished above .500, the first time that's happened in the Super Bowl era.

Even that, however, was nothing new. Since 2020, the Steelers are 16-8 against the Ravens, Browns and Bengals.

Only the Chiefs have a better record within their division in that period.

Tomlin knows his team is built for AFC North football.

The Ravens and Bengals have become far more offensive-oriented teams than classic AFC North defense-first teams, but with the shift to Russell Wilson at quarterback, the Steelers are capable of winning shootouts, as well.

After last week's win at Washington, the Steelers are averaging 30.3 points per game with Wilson at quarterback.

So, to Tomlin's point, bring on the AFC North games.

• Cincinnati's Joe Burrow and Baltimore's Lamar Jackson are arguably playing better than any other quarterbacks in the NFL.

But the Bengals are 4-6 and the Ravens are 7-3. They're not unbeatable.

Why?

Both of those teams' respective defenses are terrible.

That could be a deciding factor down the stretch.

• The Penguins are the worst pro team in Pittsburgh. And it's not particularly close.

And Pittsburgh is home to the Pirates.

• To be a Pitt football fan is to understand that you're not allowed to have nice things.

Who didn't see the Panthers' loss to Virginia coming?

It was a classic Pitt loss.

Pitt and Penn State are opposites in the college football world in many ways, but the greatest difference is that while Pitt will lose a game it shouldn't every season and then pull off a major upset, Penn State will beat up on all the bad teams on its schedule and rarely pull off an upset.

This week's games

Ravens (minus 3) at Steelers: The Steelers have won seven of the past eight games between these two and are 3-1 against Jackson when he starts, with that one win coming in overtime over Mason Rudolph/Duck Hodges in 2019. Can the Steelers win four in a row over Jackson? Baltimore having three extra days of rest makes a difference, though it wasn't time to fix an awful pass defense. The Steelers have won their past five regular season games outright as underdogs and Tomlin is 18-10 straight up as a home underdog. If this were in Baltimore, it would be different. Take the Steelers, 27-23.

Browns (plus 1) at Saints: Jameis Winston leads the Browns against the team he played for the past two seasons. So, there is some familiarity. The Saints, however, just got an emotional victory over hated division rival Atlanta. Smells like a letdown. Take the Browns, 23-17.

Bengals (plus 11⁄2) at Chargers: Burrow has been on fire, but the Bengals just aren't good defensively. The Chargers, like the Steelers of the previous few seasons, know how to win in the margins and have the NFL's stingiest scoring defense. Take the Chargers, 26-24.

Chiefs (plus 21⁄2) at Bills: The Chiefs are 9-0, but are 7-0 in one-score games and needed a last-second blocked field goal to win at home last week against the Broncos. The Bills end the unbeaten streak. Take the Bills, 24-20.

Seahawks (plus 6) at 49ers: With Christian McCaffery back last week, the 49ers are starting to get the gang back together. That's bad news for the Seahawks, who are scuffling after their 3-0 start. Take the 49ers, 30-16.

Last week:

Overall:

Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.