Buy or Sell: The Steelers would have won a playoff game by now if not in the AFC North.<\/p>\n
Explanation: The Steelers have found themselves in arguably the toughest division in football, the AFC North, with no playoff success. While they\u2019re used to competing with the Ravens, in the past, they were the older brother. The Bengals are now perennial Super Bowl contenders, even if they don\u2019t always make the playoffs. But having two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in the division makes earning a home playoff game tough.<\/p>\n
Buy: <\/p>\n
The Steelers haven\u2019t won the AFC North since 2020, their only division title since 2017, their last playoff win in 2016. Since their last playoff win, they have hosted two playoff games, playing on the road more often than not. And while it\u2019s not an excuse, winning on the road in the playoffs is much tougher than at home.<\/p>\n
With the Steelers contending with Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow in the AFC North, they simply can\u2019t win the division. That\u2019s usually how it goes\u2014and how it went for them when they had Ben Roethlisberger. The Ravens had Joe Flacco and the Bengals had Andy Dalton, but that\u2019s not on the same level. Nobody saw them as potential future Hall of Famers.<\/p>\n
But if the Steelers were in the AFC South rather than North, they would be hosting playoff games. Sure, the Texans have some life now with C.J. Stroud, but they haven\u2019t had a head-and-shoulders-above-everyone-else contender in a while. The last time the AFC South champion won more than 10 games was in 2021.<\/p>\n
Sell: <\/p>\n
Anything is possible with the Butterfly Effect, including having even less success. After all, the Steelers did win the AFC North a couple times, and they still couldn\u2019t make it happen. The reason for their lack of playoff success isn\u2019t just a tough division\u2014it\u2019s an insufficient roster.<\/p>\n
They had Ben Roethlisberger on his last legs and a defense that needed to rebuild. The Steelers simply haven\u2019t had a team capable of a playoff run in a while, AFC North or not. Sure, maybe they could have managed one playoff win or two here or there, but only in the most ideal setting. And that\u2019s as far as they would have gotten. If they can\u2019t win on the road, home-field advantage doesn\u2019t magically make you better than you are.<\/p>\n
The Steelers are building toward the 2025 season, following yet another disappointing year. While they reached the playoffs, they once again lost decisively in the first round. They are facing questions, both publicly, and perhaps privately as well. Questions about The Standard<\/a>, and what the Steelers stand for.<\/p>\n