Finding a way to win the AFC North for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024 will be anything but a walk in the park. They are in arguably the toughest division in the NFL as present with the Ravens, Browns, and Bengals.
The Ravens were last season’s No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs and went as far as the AFC Championship game. They have the reigning MVP in Lamar Jackson and a stacked roster to pose some serious problems.
The Bengals will get back a healthy Joe Burrow and have kept their wide receiver duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins while their roster is also at par with the top NFL teams. The same can be said of the Browns, which means every game in this division will be a battle.
Having said that, let us explore the possibility of why the Steelers will win the AFC North in 2024.
Improved QB room
The most important thing to consider here is the quarterback room and its improvement. Last season was a horrendous year for the Steelers as far as quarterback play was concerned. Pittsburgh totaled only 13 passing touchdowns on the year from Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitch Trubisky.
During the offseason, the Steelers shipped all of them out and brought in Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen in a completely revamped QB room.
Irrespective of how much Wilson struggled in Denver, he is still an improvement over all three of the Steelers’ 2023 signal callers. Last season, Wilson had a 26-8 TD-INT ratio which is remarkably better. He is great at protecting the ball and an efficient passer. This move could be an excellent fit for both parties.
Good running game
Pittsburgh has made a change in its offensive coordinator position this year, bringing in Arthur Smith who was formerly the head coach of the Falcons. Smith is a true believer in running the football, which bodes well for Najee Harris and backup Jaylen Warren.
Harris has been ever so consistent for the Steelers since he was drafted in 2021. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards each season and has the ability to make plays receiving the ball as well. Harris is well supported in the run game by Warren, who also has displayed his dual-threat ability and had a much improved second year in the league last season.
Overall, both running backs had more than 1,800 rushing yards combined in 2023 along with a combined 90 receptions, and 12 touchdowns which was a solid performance.
Stable receiving corps
While the Steelers do not boast too many offensive threats, especially in the receiving room, top wide receiver George Pickens is a star player. Entering his third year in the league, Pickens could have a breakout season particularly with a QB the caliber of Russell Wilson throwing to him.
Apart from Pickens, the rest of the receiving group should provide sufficient options for the Steelers to build around as they have a mixture of youth, experience, and vertical threats.
Top defense
The Steelers’ defense starts with Mike Tomlin and his ability to get the best out of his players when they take the field. He has in his ranks one of the best edge rushers in the game in T.J. Watt, and Pittsburgh has led the NFL in sacks three times in his seven years in the league.
Watt is joined by Alex Highsmith, who is a more than worthy No. 2 linebacker. To bolster their defense, the Steelers added Patrick Queen, stealing him away from the division-rival Ravens.
The secondary for Pittsburgh may just be their weakest position, but the Steelers still have a three-time First-Team All-Pro in Minkah Fitzpatrick as their safety. Plus, more will be expected from second-year cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
High winning percentage within division
Tomlin has been the head coach of the Steelers since 2007, so he knows a great deal about the AFC North. The positive from this is that Tomlin has had excellent results against all three of his divisional opponents for quite some time now.
In 2023, despite being pitted amongst three quality teams twice, Tomlin and the Steelers achieved a 5-1 record as far as their divisional matchups were concerned. Granted, they didn’t go up against Burrow last year, but they still beat the Bengals twice, the Ravens twice—once against Jackson—and the Browns once when they had Deshaun Watson.
It can’t be said enough that winning the AFC North will be a herculean task for Pittsburgh this year, but if things fall into place quickly, then it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise considering the upside of this team.
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