Pittsburgh Steelers are this season’s biggest wild card in AFC

The Pittsburgh Steelers could be an afterthought by early December. They could also be the team that nobody wants to face come January.

For the most part, it’s easy to handicap the AFC. The New England Patriots are the frontrunner, having represented the conference in each of the last three Super Bowls. The Kansas City Chiefs are the top challenger, led by a wunderkind in quarterback Patrick Mahomes and a brilliant strategist in head coach Andy Reid. Then there are the Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts, both of whom could reach the Super Bowl with the right breaks.

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You’ll notice none of the aforementioned teams play in the AFC North. This is where Pittsburgh enters the picture.

The Steelers missed the postseason last year with a 9-6-1 record, undone by drama and horrid losses including a pair of road losses to the moribund Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos. Pittsburgh also endured a tough offseason, trading away All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown and right tackle Marcus Gilbert for a trio of late-route draft selections.

Still, the Steelers teem with talent. Pittsburgh has the league’s reigning passing champion in Ben Roethlisberger and one of the game’s emerging stars in receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Add in a still-strong offensive line, the running of James Conner and the underrated tight end play of Vance McDonald, and Pittsburgh still has ample firepower. If it can simply get something out of the No. 2 receiver — whether it be second-year man James Washington or otherwise — there should be plenty of points.

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The real question is how bought-in are the Pittsburgh Steelers? Mike Tomlin has been the head coach since taking over for Bill Cowher in 2007, and some believe his program has gone stale. The team has been embroiled in turmoil and drama, ranging from Brown’s antics this winter to the seemingly endless parade of comments that have trailed Roethlisberger in recent seasons.

If the Steelers are going to get back into the playoffs and upend the favored Cleveland Browns in the AFC North — yes, this is real life — it starts with focus. Pittsburgh has more than enough skill to win double-digit games and with Roethlisberger at the helm, be a threat in the postseason. However, if the nonsense and noise don’t die down, it’s tough to see Pittsburgh being the best version of itself.

For the first time in more than a decade, nobody is talking about the Steelers as a threat. Maybe that’s exactly what they need.