Steelers Get Extremely Blunt Verdict From NFL Executives On AFC North Race

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 6-2, in first place and riding a four-game winning streak. Many of the people who run NFL front offices still are not sold. With a first-place showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals set for Sunday night, a midseason survey of league executives and scouts picked Cincinnati to win the AFC North. The reason they gave will sound familiar to Steelers fans, and it has nothing to do with the defense or the running game.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler asked league evaluators to assess every division race at the midway point. He wrote that the AFC North is close to being the deepest division in football, with the Steelers and Bengals both rolling and the Baltimore Ravens reeling without an injured Lamar Jackson. Even so, many of the evaluators gave the edge to Cincinnati, and one NFC executive explained why.

"I'm going with the Bengals because of Burrow. He's playing at such a high level, and even though they struggle to run the ball at times, it almost doesn't matter because of all that he does," the executive said.

Fowler wrote that the Bengals are in position to win their first division title since 2022 if they stay healthy and the defense holds up. Cincinnati has scored 143 points over its last four games, all wins, and Joe Burrow has played at an MVP level.

Steelers' Passing Game Is The Big Question Mark

The evaluators did have praise for Pittsburgh. Fowler noted that they like what the Steelers' offensive line and running backs are doing, and that Jaylen Warren leads all qualified players with 5.9 yards per carry by a wide margin. SteelerNation covered how Warren earned a midseason honor from PFF as the team's highest-graded player.

The problem, according to those evaluators, is what happens when the Steelers have to throw. Fowler wrote that many of them still do not trust the passing game enough to pick Pittsburgh over Cincinnati. That is the same concern that has followed the team all season, and the numbers back it up.

ESPN's Brooke Pryor pointed to DK Metcalf as the key in her preview of Sunday's game, and she laid out the problem in one line.

"The Steelers' highest-paid offensive player has more drops (five) than touchdowns (one) in eight games this season," Pryor wrote.

Pryor added that Metcalf's 7.7% drop rate is the highest of his career. The Steelers also stood pat at the trade deadline instead of adding another receiver, which only increased the doubts. Head Coach Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers are betting that the receivers returning from injured reserve, along with tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, can be enough.

The survey is not the only national vote of no confidence this week. SteelerNation covered how CBS Sports labeled the Steelers pretenders despite their 6-2 start, while putting the Bengals on its list of real contenders.

The Bengals have weaknesses of their own. They have struggled to run the ball all season, which is part of the reason the executive gave so much credit to Burrow. That puts a lot of weight on his arm against a Steelers defense that had eight sacks in its last game. SteelerNation also looked at the rematch TJ Watt faces with the tackle who held him without a sack in Week 3, and how Cincinnati could get three players back from injured reserve for this game. If the Steelers can make the Bengals one-dimensional, the passing game may not need to carry the load.

The Steelers have a strong counterargument. They already beat Cincinnati 30-27 in Week 3, and Rodgers threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns in that game. The passing attack has been inconsistent, but it has shown up against this opponent. A second win would give the Steelers a season sweep, sole possession of first place and the head-to-head tiebreaker.

That would make it a lot harder for anyone, inside or outside of NFL front offices, to keep picking the Bengals. Until then, the message from around the league is clear. The defense and running game are trusted. The passing game has to prove it on Sunday night.

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

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