The Pittsburgh Steelers may not put together the prettiest kind of football in 2023, but nonetheless, they find themselves at 5-3 and right in the mix for the AFC playoff race. In three of the last four weeks, the AFC North teams have all been victorious, and because of that, the division is in a very rare and strange situation.
%202023%20Camp%20Final%20with%20Logos/2L9A7782-544x306.jpg "Steelers Kenny Pickett")
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter / X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett hasn't had the best 2023 season and yet his Steelers are right in the thick of things
Steelers And AFC North Are All Contenders
The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Buffalo Bills to close out Sunday of Week 9, and what that Bengals' win meant was that if the 2023 season ended at that moment, every single AFC North team would make the postseason.
— Dale Lolley (@dlolley_pgh) November 6, 2023
In Week 9 of 2023, the AFC North went 4-0 to put the division in that unique position where every team would end up in the playoffs in one form or another. The Steelers are experiencing a woeful offensive season like they haven't seen in a very long time, but they are two games above .500 and looking at the playoffs right in the eye. The Cleveland Browns are going through some very challenging growing pains with their $230 million quarterback, Deshaun Watson, but the first-ranked defense in the NFL has the Browns where plenty of other teams would love to be.
Both Pittsburgh and Cleveland have struggled often in 2023, but using time-tested approaches to the game has them fighting with the rest of the AFC elite for those precious playoff spots. As talented as the conference is, it would genuinely be staggering if four of the seven teams representing the AFC all came from one division, and it was the blue-collar AFC North. As it stands now, that is hardly wishful thinking.
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Pittsburgh Steelers rival Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens is having an amazing 2023 despite a rocky offseason, and the AFC North is on notice
Steelers Chasing Baltimore With Rest Of AFC North
The Bengals stumbled right out of the gate in 2023 and have spent every game since trying to get back to their winning ways. After their Sunday night Week 9 win over the Bills, they seem to have found their footing and are looking to give the other teams in the division a true run for their money. Joe Burrow has shaken off a lingering calf injury, and their high-flying offense is having fun again.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith knows how challenging it is going up against the other teams in the AFC North, but he is up for the challenge
While all four AFC North teams would be in the playoffs if the season ended today, the Baltimore Ravens are well above the rest of the division in both record and overall stability of their squad. Boasting an impressive 7-2 record after winning again in Week 9, Baltimore seems poised to keep chugging away with the division title in their sights. As it usually ends up happening, the AFC North will come down to a few bruising matchups that aren't decided until the final weeks.
How many teams from the AFC North will make the 2023 playoffs? Who will those teams be?
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