At 6-2 as they head into their Week 9 bye, the Steelers have set themselves up well for the challenges ahead.
What lies ahead is a challenging series of games, including all six of their AFC North matchups this season. However, they’ll have to wait until Week 11 to face the Ravens at home, returning from their bye in Week 10 to start the second half of the season against Washington.
When the schedule was released earlier, this segment appeared tougher than the first half. While the Steelers will face five teams with winning records over their last nine games, including two against the Ravens, it’s comparable to the first half, where four opponents also had a .500 record or better.
A key difference for the Steelers after the bye is the return of some injured players.
This season, 15 different players have been placed on the reserve/injured list, not counting others like guard Isaac Seumalo, rookie center Zach Frazier, outside linebackers Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, and running backs Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson, who missed games due to injuries not severe enough for IR.
Injuries on the offensive line have been particularly problematic, forcing the Steelers to use five different line combinations and seeing four players make their first career starts in the first eight weeks.
Frazier, who has been one of the standout rookie offensive linemen in the NFL, is expected to return from an ankle injury after the bye, providing a boost to a running game currently ranked eighth in the league with 138.1 yards per game.
Najee Harris, who has rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons, is having the best start of his career and is on track for just over 1,250 yards this season. This improvement has been aided by quarterback Russell Wilson, who missed the first six games of the season with a calf injury but has now started the last two.
Justin Fields, who was brought in during the offseason, led the team to a 4-2 record in his six starts, contributing 10 touchdowns and only one turnover.
Overall, Steelers quarterbacks have thrown for 14 touchdowns with just one interception, though they’ve lost two fumbles. Wilson has averaged 271 passing yards per game in his two starts, the third-highest in the NFL. The team hasn’t had a quarterback average that many yards since Ben Roethlisberger led the league with 320.6 yards per game in 2018.
Strong quarterback play will be crucial as the Steelers face tougher opposing offenses in the second half. They haven’t yet played any teams ranked in the top 10 for scoring but will encounter five such teams in their final nine games, plus two matchups against Cincinnati, currently ranked 11th.
The Steelers are not far behind, averaging 23.4 points per game, which ranks 15th in the league. Defensively, they’re second in points allowed per game at 14.9.
While they’ll face stronger offenses, they’ll also have four games against defenses ranked in the bottom 10 for points allowed. The Ravens allow 26.1 points per game, and the Bengals permit 25.4.
The defense will also gain a boost with cornerback Cameron Sutton returning from an eight-game suspension for a personal conduct policy violation. His return is like acquiring an additional veteran cornerback ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline.
At 6-2, the Steelers have an 82.5 percent chance of making the playoffs, based on league trends since 2000, and a 54.5 percent chance of winning the AFC North.
Their performance in the second half, especially against their AFC North rivals, will heavily influence their postseason prospects, determining whether they qualify as a Wild Card or host their first playoff game since 2020.
However, the NFL has made the path challenging. The Steelers will have two short weeks, both following games against the Ravens. After facing Baltimore on November 17, they will travel to Cleveland for a Thursday night game in Week 12. Following a Saturday game on December 21 in Baltimore, they’ll host the Chiefs on Christmas Eve.
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