A win on Sunday puts the Steelers in first place of the AFC North

The 2021 Pittsburgh Steelers were never really supposed to amount to anything in the eyes of the national media. The storylines were Ben Roethlisberger was too old, the defense lost too many pieces, the offensive line got significantly worse, and the rest of the AFC North has gotten too good. But here in Week 10 the Steelers are re-writing all the negativity and have placed themselves in a position to reclaim the top spot in the hotly contested division.

With the embarrassing Thursday Night loss to the Miami Dolphins, the Baltimore Ravens showed their true colors and slipped to 6-3 on the year. The Ravens have only played one divisional game this year, vs. Cincinnati, in which they lost. Since the Steelers are 1-1 in divisional play a win at home on Sunday against the Detroit Lions would mean the Steelers would hold sole possession of first place in the North. After being written off by so many early in the season, the Steelers have proved a lot of the doubters wrong.

This Steelers team is one with an improving offensive line, a commitment to the running game, a quarterback playing unselfish football, and a defense that continues to dominate. They have flipped every narrative on its head and it has caused many in the media world to back peddle on statements made about them. In their current position I'm not sure if there is another AFC North team with better odds of winning the division. Sure, that will come down to divisional games, but I will have a hard time picking against these Pittsburgh Steelers in any of them.

Are the Steelers a perfect team? Far from it. Are they a bad team? Heck no. At this point, with the wide open AFC the Steelers only goal from here on in is winning another division title and hosting a home playoff game. From there, the sky is the limit. I don't think anyone would sit here today and claim this team as a Super Bowl favorite, but just making it to the dance and getting hot at the right time could lead to some magic being made. Who knows, maybe Ben Roethlisberger gets his story book ending after all. But it all starts this Sunday with a win against the Detroit Lions. And this win coming with Roethlisberger being sidelined on the Reserve/COVID-19 List and Mason Rudolph at the helm.

What do you think? Did you think the Steelers could be leading the division in Week 10 before the season started? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below.