Steelers Receive Favorable Report On AFC North Rivals Cincinnati And Baltimore

The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into a very important season for their franchise. They are fully out of the Mike Tomlin regime and now look to take a different step forward under Mike McCarthy. With the highly-regarded quarterback guru taking over in Pittsburgh, the offense should begin trending upwards after years of mediocrity. After a huge offseason with plenty of major additions as well, the Steelers are looking like a team that could compete for another AFC North title, but most importantly, a team that can finally win a playoff game.

They have one of the highest-paid defenses in the league and they have needed an offense to complement them. With McCarthy and a revamped receiver room, they may actually be able to move the ball at a high level in 2026. Giving future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers weapons was a major priority this offseason and with the additions of Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard, the receiver room looks to play the part. 

The weapons are all there for the Steelers to play competitive football. Now, they just need to execute in the games. In terms of the divisional games, things are looking in Pittsburgh's favor. The Cleveland Browns' top notch defense lost Myles Garrett, the Baltimore Ravens have a questionable offensive line, and the Cincinnati Bengals still haven't done enough to fix their defense.

Among the AFC North, the Steelers are looking like top contenders and team insider Jim Wexell broke down why the division is in Pittsburgh's favor on his Steel City Insider Podcast, starting with the Bengals’ defense.

“[The Bengals] really haven’t replaced [Trey] Hendrickson and they don’t have a pass rush,” Wexell stated. “They didn’t really help the corners. They helped their D-line with a guy who was the nose tackle on the worst run defense in the NFL. They’re beatable is my point, but they are dangerous. No doubt. With a healthy [Joe] Burrow, they’re dangerous."

Cincinnati did add Dexter Lawrence, but considering how lousy the New York Giants were in run prevention, Wexell isn't very high on him making a huge impact on the Bengals’ defense. Wexell does expect their offense to make them a legitimate contender for the division however, if Joe Burrow is fully healthy. He still thinks they are an incomplete team that makes them beatable, but nonetheless, they are dangerous and the Steelers cannot take them lightly. 

That takes him into an interesting take on Baltimore.

“Derrick Henry is going to be 32,” Wexell commented. “They’re not going to have the same running team without the center and their two guards. They’ve been replaced. One replacement led the NFL in penalty yardage, John Simpson from the Jets, the right guard. The center is gonna be, we don’t even know. They bought two reserve centers in free agency, one-year contracts. They were backups and they got them late in free agency.”

With an aging Henry and a brand new interior line, Wexell isn't high on this run game from the Ravens. They have a lot to prove before you can pencil them in as one of the top rushing teams in the league again. Over the years, Henry has run all over the Pittsburgh defense, but with these changes, it may not be as easy to assume that will still be the case. 

Wexell also discussed the Browns, but without Garrett, they have a lot to prove defensively. In addition to his departure, their offense is still very young. Time will tell if Cleveland can compete, but as of now, Wexell isn't as concerned with them as the other two organizations. 

Steelers' AFC North Chances Look Bright In 2026

There's plenty of reason to believe in Pittsburgh this year based on what they have brought in, but looking deeper into their divisional opponents, their schedule looks very winnable. Wexell isn't high on how these other teams operated this offseason, which creates an optimistic outlook for 2026. 

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