Cleveland Browns stay atop AFC North power rankings heading into Week 12

No. 3: Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4)

The Steelers suffered a loss to their archrival the Browns in Week 11. To add insult to injury, they lost to Cleveland in the same manner that they have won all of their games in 2023. It was a tight, grimy, low-scoring affair that came down to the final seconds.

The loss broke the second-place tie that the Steelers shared with Cleveland and relegated them to third place in the AFC North. But, unlike Cincinnati, the Steelers still occupy a playoff spot currently. Sitting at a respectable 6-4, including 2-1 inside the division 4-2 inside of the conference, the Steelers could still manage to beat up on a weaker schedule and find themselves in the AFC playoffs.

Pittsburgh is an uneven team, with an offense that struggles to move the football and an opportunistic defense with a few elite players at key positions. The Steelers' offense is not completely devoid of talent, there is enough to work with in the skill position rooms to be a problem for opposing defenses. If the Steelers could just get average play out of their quarterback, Kenny Pickett, this could be a double-digit win team. Then the only question would be, are 10 wins enough to earn you a spot in the postseason in the AFC?