The Pittsburgh Steelers made the long trek to Dublin, Ireland, for their Week 4 contest against the Minnesota Vikings, and they ended up grinding out a 24-21 victory. While the Vikings nearly put together a late rally, the Steelers did what they had to do to prevail in this contest.
Pittsburgh now enters its bye week with a 3-1 record, and they are in full control of the AFC North. With the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns both being 1-3, and the Cincinnati Bengals putting up just 13 total points in their past two games without Joe Burrow, the Steelers suddenly look like the overwhelming favorite to win their division.
Of course, it’s still early, but Pittsburgh’s propensity for finding a way to win games is becoming quite apparent. After not fully buying stock in the Steelers early in the season, Pete Prisco of CBS Sports finally gave them the recognition they deserve, bumping them up from No. 18 to No. 9 in his Week 5 NFL power rankings.
“Mike Tomlin has done a great job getting this team to 3-1,” Prisco wrote. “In a division where the other three teams have issues, the Steelers just might win the AFC North.”
The Steelers haven’t been perfect through four games, but that was to be expected given how many new faces are in town. They have shown real progress as of late, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, and with a week to recover early in the season, they could return to action and string together several more wins.
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Pittsburgh isn’t necessarily a de facto Super Bowl contender yet, but if they can keep on playing strong football in all three phases of the game, they will be in a good spot. The Steelers will enjoy some time off before turning their attention to Week 6, where they will take on the Browns in a big divisional matchup.
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