Steelers Get Harsh "Pretender" Label From CBS Sports Despite 6-2 Start

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 6-2, in first place in the AFC North and winners of four straight games. That still has not been enough to convince everyone. With a first-place showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals coming on Sunday night, one national outlet sorted the NFL's playoff teams into contenders and pretenders this week. The Steelers landed in the second group, and the Bengals team they already beat landed in the first.

CBS Sports' Jordan Dajani looked at the 14 teams that would make the playoffs if the season ended today and asked whether each one has a real shot at the Lombardi Trophy. He was direct about where he stands on Pittsburgh, and he said the coaching change has not altered his view.

"A feisty team that can make the playoffs and maybe even steal the division, but is not a legitimate Super Bowl contender," Dajani wrote.

The Steelers were one of only four teams in the pretender group. The others were the New York Giants, the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers, who lead the NFC South at 3-5.

The contender list is what will bother Steelers fans most. Dajani put 10 teams on it, including the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs from the AFC. He also included the Bengals, who have the same 6-2 record as Pittsburgh and lost to the Steelers 30-27 in Week 3. His case for Cincinnati centered on Joe Burrow, who he said could win MVP after accounting for 26 total touchdowns in eight games.

Even Dajani's case for Cincinnati came with a warning that plays into Pittsburgh's hands. He noted the Bengals are averaging just 85.6 rushing yards per game, the fewest by a team that started 6-2 or better since the 2014 Detroit Lions. That leaves a lot on Burrow's arm against a Steelers defense that had eight sacks in its last game.

Steelers Can Change The Conversation On Sunday Night

Dajani did leave the door open. He wrote that there are reasons to believe the Steelers could be a sleeper, and he pointed to two of them. The offense led by Aaron Rodgers has averaged 26.2 points per game over its last six, and Jaylen Warren has 998 total yards in eight games. Dajani called Warren one of the most improved players in the NFL. SteelerNation covered how Warren earned a midseason honor from PFF as the team's highest-graded player.

The pretender label fits a pattern from this week. The national power rankings were split on Pittsburgh, with the team ranked anywhere from No. 7 to No. 13, as SteelerNation noted when the Week 10 rankings came out. The doubts also grew after the trade deadline. The Jaguars and Chiefs both added players, while the Steelers stood pat and got a reality check in the national deadline grades.

Not every national voice sees it Dajani's way. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio has the Steelers at No. 7 in his power rankings, one spot ahead of the Bengals, and he summed up what this game means in one line.

"Completing the sweep of the Bengals will be critical to winning the division," Florio wrote.

That is the opportunity in front of Head Coach Mike McCarthy's team. The Steelers have already beaten Cincinnati once. A second win, on the road and on national television, would give them sole possession of first place and the head-to-head tiebreaker, and it would make it much harder to argue that the Bengals are the more serious team.

The doubt itself is not new. The Steelers have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season, and until that changes, strong regular-season records will keep getting questioned. Dajani said as much when he wrote that he views this team the same way he did under former head coach Mike Tomlin.

The only real answer is on the field. The Steelers' defense has carried them through the winning streak, the running game has been a strength, and wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is close to returning from injured reserve. If that group goes into Cincinnati and wins, the pretender talk will get a lot quieter. If it loses, the Steelers will fall out of first place and the label will stick a little longer.

This story was produced with the help of AI and reviewed by SteelerNation editors.

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