We need to look at the Steelers as Super Bowl favorites

Sitting at 7-0, the Steelers have earned the right to enter the Super Bowl contenders chat

The Kansas City Chiefs picked up a convincing 35-9 victory over the winless New York Jets. That’s fine, but cupcake wins only get you so far. Meanwhile, up in Baltimore, the Pittsburgh Steelers are showing everyone why they might be the front-runners for the Super Bowl odds entering the second half of the season.

The score might say 28-24, but it was a convincing second-half advantage that led Pittsburgh to a win. Early on, the defense rattle Lamar Jackson into making a costly throw, leading to a pick-six for linebacker Robert Spillane. Two drives later, Bud Dupree would cause a fumble on the sack while Vince Williams picked up the recovery for a second Steelers’ turnover.

Despite getting outgained and outplayed in the first half by a very wide margin, the Steelers were able to overcome such an advantage.

Jackson threw a pair of interceptions and looked lost at times against Pittsburgh’s secondary. The team all targets except for Willie Snead under 40 yards and allowed just two passing touchdowns in the red zone. The pressure of Pittsburgh’s pass rusher also led to four total sacks on the afternoon.

The defense played great, but so did the offense

Even though he’s regressed, Ben Roethlisberger still is a capable starter at age 38. Going 21 of 32 for 182 yards and two touchdowns, the veteran gunslinger was efficient in keeping drives alive while burning out the clock.

Once again, Roethlisberger spread the rock between multiple targets at M&T Bank Stadium. Chase Claypool flashed once more in the slot, hauling in five catches for 42 yards and a touchdown while Eric Ebron factored him the passing game with a score of his own. Meanwhile, JuJu Smith-Schuster continues to command the field, leading the team with seven catches for 67 yards and an average of 9.6 yards per catch.

Entering Sunday, the talk was the Ravens’ newest addition of Yannick Ngakoue. Expected to be a force in the trenches, Pittsburgh’s offensive line held the former Jaguar to one total tackle and one quarterback pressure. Overall, Roethlisberger only hit the ground twice for a loss of nine yards.

There will be areas Pittsburgh will need to improve on before the season comes to an end. Entering Sunday, the team posted the second-best run defense with opponents averaging 68.8 rushing yards per outing. J.K. Dobbins broke free for 113 yards while the team 265 yards on the ground overall.

What matters are the little things that led to big moments. Under pressure, Roethlisberger remained calm, finding Claypool for an 8-yard touchdown with just over seven minutes remaining to take the lead. The defense did their job, especially Minkah Fitzpatrick, who caused a Jackson fumble and eventually broke up the pass to Snead in the end zone that cemented a win for the Steel City.

The Steelers are 7-0 for the second time in franchise history. More importantly, they might be the league’s toughest team to beat. With a premier defense, oodles of weapons and a veteran under center, it’s time to put them in the contender conversation when mentioning the Lombardi Trophy.