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Dec 7, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reacts after a play against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Steelers Path to AFC North Title is Clear

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Jack Markowski | Last updated Dec 8, 2025 4:00 PM ET

All of a sudden, the Pittsburgh Steelers are firmly in the driver's seat of the AFC North with just four games left in the regular season.

Just one short week ago, it felt like the sky was falling after Pittsburgh was run off the field by the Buffalo Bills at Acrisure Stadium while fans chanted, 'fire [Mike] Tomlin.'

After a week full of speculation about Tomlin's future with the organization and some general skepticism surrounding the Steelers' chances of pulling off an upset win on the road against the Baltimore Ravens, the black and gold just that.

Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf and the rest of the team's offense turned in one of their better performances of the season as Pittsburgh staved Lamar Jackson and the Ravens off en route to a 27-22 victory.

Pittsburgh's work is far from done, but its path to its first division title in five years is crystal clear considering the team controls its own destiny.

Only Baltimore to Worry About

After Joe Burrow returned on Thanksgiving and helped lead the Cincinnati Bengals to a primetime victory over the Ravens last week, some pundits believed that a third team could emerge as a contender to take home the AFC North this year.

The Bengals' dreams were all but dashed in a snow-covered loss to the Bills on the road this week, however, dropping them to 4-9 on the season.

It would now take an utter collapse, perhaps of never-before-seen proportions, for Cincinnati to finish in first place, even if it were to win its final four contests.

As a result, with the Steelers and Ravens sitting at 7-6 and 6-7, respectively, it is a true two-team race in the division with one matchup between the sides remaining at Acrisure Stadium in Week 18.

Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Steelers' Odds of Winning AFC North

The Steelers were in a similarly advantageous position last year entering Week 15, as they were 10-3 and two games up on the Ravens at 8-5, but we all now how that ended.

Baltimore captured a Week 16 victory over Pittsburgh at M&T Bank Stadium, which was the second of four-straight losses to close out the regular season for the Steelers, and the Ravens defeated them once again in the Wild Card round of the playoffs after also winning the AFC North.

Pittsburgh's lead is just one game this time around, but its win over the Ravens guaranteed that Baltimore can't win the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Additionally, the Steelers improved their record against divisional opponents while the Ravens, in turn, took a hit in that department.

Peter Casey-Imagn Images

The most obvious path towards taking home the AFC North for Pittsburgh would be to win its final four games, but that's just simply not all that likely. It should be favored over the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns in Weeks 15 and 17, respectively, but a tough road game against the Detroit Lions looms in Week 16 before facing off against Baltimore to end the regular season.

Baltimore has one more game left against a non-Steelers AFC North team in the Bengals, which will come next week.

At the moment, the Steelers are 3-1 in the division while Baltimore is 2-2. If both teams were to match the other's outcome, whether it be a win or loss, in their remaining AFC North bouts that aren't against each other, however, the Ravens would have the tiebreaker in a world where they defeat Pittsburgh in Week 18 and finish with the same overall record.

If Baltimore loses to Cincinnati while Pittsburgh beats Cleveland, though, the Ravens don't have a path towards winning the tiebreaker even if they were to take down the Steelers and hold the same overall record when it's all said and done.

There's still too much time left in the campaign to start worrying about all the different scenarios, but for now, the Steelers should feel good about where they stand in the AFC North.

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