5 reasons Pittsburgh Steelers won't make the playoffs

5 reasons Pittsburgh Steelers won’t make the playoffs

By John Buhler | Oct 19, 2016

Oct 16, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) looks on in the game against the Miami Dolphins during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. The Miami Dolphins defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-15. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

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`Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Terrance West (28) is wrapped up by the Cleveland Browns defense during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

4. AFC North may not have a wild card team

We’ve only seen six weeks of NFL action, but it’s looking like the AFC North will not be an AFC division to get a wild card team into the AFC Playoffs. There are a lot of solid, above-average teams outside of the AFC North like the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders. If 9-7 is good enough to get the No. 6 seed, we might have to throw in some AFC South teams like the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans.

The AFC North looks as bad as it has been since 2002’s realignment. 10-6 will probably win this division. Second place may not be better than 8-8. The Cleveland Browns will struggle to win games in their Moneyball rebuilding season. Neither Baltimore or Cincinnati look all that impressive.

Pittsburgh was clearly the team to beat in the AFC North before the Roethlisberger injury. Now the Steelers’ lead in the AFC North has become razor-thin. Roethlisberger can come back in late November and early December to help the Steelers win the AFC North.

As it stands now, the AFC West is getting at least one Wild Card team in these AFC Playoffs and the Bills look pretty solid as the No. 2 team in the AFC East. In short, Pittsburgh has to win its division to make the AFC Playoffs. Are we sure that’s still a guarantee?

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