Behind the Steel Curtain
There aren’t too many people within the NFL mediasphere that you’ll find picking the Pittsburgh Steelers to have a big season. This is despite the Steelers winning 10 games for the third consecutive year in 2025, winning the AFC North in the process, and adding a ton of talent on both sides of the ball.
While the list of Steelers doubters is a long one, you can add former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum to the list. Speaking on SportsCenter, Tannenbaum proclaimed that there is no chance Aaron Rodgers is taking the Steelers to the Super Bowl.
“The only way he’s going to LA is if he flies there,” Tannenbaum said, via Andrew Vasquez. “They are the third-best team in the division.”
The Steelers will have the usual suspects to worry about in the AFC North. The Cincinnati Bengals made improvements to a defense that desperately needed them. The biggest question, as it has unfortunately become for Cincinnati, is will Joe Burrow stay healthy? He’s missed at least seven games in two of the last three seasons, including missing nine contests in 2025.
Much like the Steelers, the Baltimore Ravens are heading into a new era under new head coach Jesse Minter. Lamar Jackson missed time in 2025 with injuries of his own. Will he be able to have a bounce back season? And will Derrick Henry lose a step after just under 1,600 yards? Even if both Cincinnati and Baltimore get a good bill of health from their respective quarterbacks, it would be easy to make the argument the Steelers have the best roster in the division.
Pittsburgh will play Cincinnati in Weeks 3 and 10 and will play Baltimore twice in the final month of the season in Weeks 15 and 18.
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