The Pittsburgh Steelers have defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Ireland to improve their record to 3-1. After a physically taxing four-game stretch, Pittsburgh will be able to recover on the much-needed bye week. Even though the break is earlier than most players likely want it to be, it will still be good to enter Week 6 with a mostly clean bill of health to help prepare for the gauntlet to end the season. Guys like Joey Porter Jr. can't make their return fast enough to add more physicality and depth to this squad.
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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) practices at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex during the 2025 minicamp, Tuesday June 10, 2025.
As the rest of Week 4 unfolds, one thing is becoming abundantly clear: the AFC North is Pittsburgh's to win or lose. You never want to get too cocky in September, but so many things have been falling in the Steelers' favor. It's up to them to come out of the bye week guns a-blazing to make sure they get a true stranglehold on the division and not choke it away like they did in 2024.
For starters, the dead horse continues to be beaten: the Cleveland Browns have not shown much life so far in the 2025 season. Their defense is great, but they seem to be unable to get the miracle run that they got in 2023 with the veteran Joe Flacco under center. Myles Garrett may still be breaking the internet with how he plays, but he can't carry that team to the playoffs all by himself.
The Cincinnati Bengals are just one win away from tying the Steelers for the division lead, but there is one major problem: no Joe Burrow. Even if they have one of the better backups in the NFL, it's borderline impossible for him to replace a top five quarterback. It's a long road ahead for them, especially since they have to play the Steelers twice without Burrow. Things could get ugly quickly, like they did in Week 3 for Cincy.
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Bengals backup quarterback Jake Browning celebrates during an away game.
The Steelers likely know better than anyone to not count the Baltimore Ravens out. They have insane talent on both sides of the ball, and they can dominate most teams on any given Sunday. However, they can also choke games away, like they did in Week 1 on Sunday Night Football. It's always a fun game to see which Ravens team shows up in the second half.
Baltimore is off to their worst start in years, as they are now 1-3. Nothing seemed to go right in their latest loss against the Kansas City Chiefs. The coaching staff keeps making questionable decisions, like not utilizing star running back Derrick Henry in short-yardage situations, let alone having him on the field. Lamar Jackson suffering a hamstring injury does not help matters for them either.
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Steelers' Joey Porter Jr. makes a game-saving tackle on Lamar Jackson in 2024.
Obviously, this does not mean that the Steelers should just be handed the division title now. The Ravens can turn their season around quickly, and if the Bengals can at least tread water until Burrow comes back, they could be right back in the conversation. All this means is that the Steelers got a much-needed head start in this race, and they have to take full advantage of it while they can.
Steelers Can't Fold Against Gauntlet Again
The supposedly easy part of the Steelers' schedule is almost done with. After hosting the Browns in Week 6, they will face nine playoff contenders in their last 12 games, including the Ravens and Bengals twice. If they get too comfortable, they can quickly fall behind in the race again. They have to come out and make statement wins to keep total control of the AFC North.
What do you think about how the AFC North has fared through the first four weeks? Will the Steelers keep control of this insane division? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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