The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently enjoying life in the AFC North. Ahead of the 2025 season, they were predicted by most analysts and pundits to finish third in the division behind the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals. The franchise is currently in first place with a multi-game lead however, heading into Week 6. Cincinnati is 2-3 to start the year with quarterback Joe Burrow expected to be out until December, while the Ravens are 1-4 with many key pieces being banged up early on in the year. The Cleveland Browns are also 1-4 as they attempt to figure out their quarterback situation.
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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow makes a gesture to the crowd as he walks off the field during a professional football game away from home.
The division is pretty injured as a whole, and it has seemed to benefit Pittsburgh so far in 2025 as the team is in complete control of its destiny when it comes to winning the division. It is very early to be talking about the postseason, but that is an important factor when going through the course of a regular season as well. The rest of the division has been disappointing, with or without the injuries, and fans should potentially be expecting some major changes.
Matt Verderame of SI wrote on Monday about both Zac Taylor and Kevin Stefanski being on the hot seat. He acknowledged the constant injury issues for Taylor and the Bengals, but also stated that patience is wearing thin in Cincinnati.
"Taylor is also 48–55–1, and while Burrow has endured three significant injuries, it’s the coach’s job to win games," Verderame wrote. "The Bengals have struggled to do anything consistently on defense throughout Taylor’s tenure, despite multiple coordinators, and the offense relying on Burrow throwing to Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and little else. If the Bengals retain Taylor, it’s defensible. If not, the same is true."
Taylor has had bouts of being a good coach. He has led Cincinnati to a Super Bowl appearance and back to back AFC Championship Game, but has missed the playoffs in five seasons. Things are not going well for the Bengals right now, and him being fired is certainly on the table once the 2025 season comes to a close.
Reed Hoffmann / AP photo
Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor and Owner Mike Brown after winning the AFC Championship Game.
The Browns are also in a spot where it might be time to move on from its head coach. Stefanski is a coach that would likely be hired elsewhere almost immediately. Everyone is able to acknowledge that he is a good coach as he has won the NFL's Coach of the Year Award two times, but there has been so much dysfunction in Cleveland that it might be time for the two sides to part ways. Verderame discussed Stefanski possibly getting fired, while also stating that the coach is well-respected around the league.
"However, life in the NFL isn’t fair, and while Stefanski is generally regarded as a smart coach who could likely succeed with a decent roster, patience only goes so far," Verderame wrote. "Now in his sixth season with the Browns, he is 41–48 with two playoff appearances, both as a Wild Card team."
Leading the Browns to the playoffs used to seem like an impossible task, but Stefanski has been able to do it while dealing with a ton of dysfunction that typically comes with working for the Browns. He is a good coach in this league, but the Browns just cannot figure things out as an organization.
Steelers Fans Are Seeing John Harbaugh Get The Mike Tomlin Treatment
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has been under fire from the fan base consistently over the last several seasons. People in Pittsburgh are tired of the lack of playoff success, but the coach has always been able to find a way to win. That is something John Harbaugh is having trouble doing with the Ravens.
Benjamin B. Braun / Post-Gazette
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin and Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh meet near midfield to shake hands after a professional football game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD.
Baltimore is 1-4 through five weeks, and the team is banged up. They also have to face a good Los Angeles Rams team in Week 6. Baltimore has seemed to sour on Harbaugh, as the fan base has been calling for his job after a rough start to the 2025 season.
I’ll be forever grateful that John Harbaugh brought a Super Bowl to Baltimore.
— The Ravens Realm (@RealmRavens) October 6, 2025
But that was 13 years ago. It’s time to move on. There needs to be a change. Now. pic.twitter.com/8aFSARazMx
Taylor and/or Stefanski being fired is way more likely than Harbaugh losing his job, but it certainly seems as though Tomlin is the most safe coach in the division through five weeks of football, which isn't necessarily a surprise.
What do you think might happen to other coaches in the AFC North? Let us know in the comments below!
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