While the 2025 season was a complete disaster for the other three AFC North teams, Steelers are humming and are on the verge of another winning season under Mike Tomlin.
At 4-1, the Steelers have a 2.5 game lead over second place. Bengals for first place in the North. If the Steelers can leave Cincinnati with a win on Thursday night, Pittsburgh will likely need an improbable collapse to avoid capturing its first division crown since 2020.
While the plight of their division foes made things easier, the Steelers created their own luck. After losing five games in a row to end the 2024 season, Pittsburgh made every effort to make this season special. It's still early, but the 2025 season has indeed proven to be dramatically different for the black and gold team.
So what's changed? How did the Steelers go from a rudderless ship at the end of last season to a runaway division champion who appears poised to break a nine-year drought without a playoff win?
Here are the top five reasons for Pittsburgh's strong start.
5. Pittsburgh Brain Trust
In retrospect, the Steelers' five-game losing streak that ended in 2024 was a blessing in disguise because it convinced the team's management that drastic changes needed to be made this offseason.
And boy, did the Steelers make drastic changes. Here's a quick look at the notable moves of the offseason by GM Omar Khan and Assistant GM Andy Weidle.
Looking back, all of these steps/decisions seem simple. But a lot of them were very different at the time, especially the decisions to trade Fitzpatrick and wait and sign Rodgers just before minicamp. But all these steps turned out to be the right ones at this stage of the season.
4. Rising young players
In any league with a salary cap, a team must see the development of its young players if it wants to be successful. That's exactly what happened to the Steelers this season, and it's a big reason for their 4-1 start.
The Steelers, in particular, are getting weekly boosts from their young offensive line. After a slow start, the team has allowed just two sacks in its last three games, including zero sacks in last Sunday's win over the team. Browns. On Sunday, two weeks after posting a season-high 131 yards in a win over Minnesota, Pittsburgh's offense rushed for 100 yards against Minnesota. NFL best run defense.
While Rodgers improves on offense, he also benefits from a growing group of tight ends led by Darnell WashingtonAt 6-foot-7 and 267 pounds, he is a nightmare for opposing defenders. His blocking was also a valuable aspect of the Steelers offense.
On defense, the Steelers got stellar play from their rookie first-round pick. Derrick Harmon and third-year outside linebacker Nick Herbig. Harmon (who missed the first two games of the season with a knee injury) had his second sack of the season in the win over Cleveland. Herbig had two sacks against the Browns and currently leads the team with 4.5 sacks.
3. Veterans meeting standards
Across the board, the Steelers are getting a ton of help from their veteran players.
Isaac. continues to be the elder statesman of Pittsburgh's offensive line. Newbie Kenneth Gainwell proved to be a worthy successor to Harris, complementing him Jaylen Warren in Pittsburgh's backfield. Metcalf quickly developed a rapport with Rodgers and was a huge upgrade over the talented but enigmatic Pickens.
The Steelers especially received support from their veteran players on defense, starting with two of their stalwarts, TJ Watt and Cam Heyward.
Hayward made a crucial forced fumble and deflected a pass, leading to an interception in Pittsburgh's Week 2 win over the Penguins. Patriots. In the Steelers' last three games, Watt has tallied four sacks, one forced fumble, one interception and a fumble recovery.
At the inside linebacker position, the Steelers have improved their starting lineup. Patrick Queen And Payton Wilson. Queen, now in his second season in Pittsburgh, seems much more comfortable continuing to wear the green dot this year. Wilson has also seen an increase in activity as he embraces his new role, which includes spending time with a veteran. Cole Holcombwho dealt a blow to the defense after missing all of last year due to injury.
Perhaps no new Steelers starter other than Rodgers made a bigger impact than Ramsey, who had two sacks in Sunday's win over Cleveland. Ramsey provided a preview of what was to come when he killed Rodgers in the first week of training camp. Ramsey then turned headsand he continues to do so now.
“Guys, I can’t say enough about Jalen Ramsey,” Tomlin said after Sunday’s win. “He plays corner, he plays nickel, he plays free. He is exactly what we hoped he would be and of course he played an important role today.”
Ramsey also received some love after the game from Rodgers, who praised Ramsey's performance Sunday after he was sidelined by a hamstring injury and the upcoming Thursday night game in Cincinnati.
“An incredible player, person and teammate,” Rodgers said. “I think he just showed us all what kind of guy he is by coming out and playing today.”
2. Mike Tomlin
Like all head coaches, Tomlin certainly gets blamed when things don't go his way, so it's only fair that he gets some of the credit for the Steelers' 4-1 start. It was also Tomlin's vision when the Steelers overhauled their roster this offseason.
One only has to look at Gainwell's emergence to see an example of Tomlin's vision being realized. When Tomlin was looking to replace Harris, he liked what he saw on Gainwell's tape during his time with the team. Eagles. Tomlin saw a player who, by circumstance, played next to him Saquon Barkley – was not used to its full potential. Gainwell now has a chance to shine in Pittsburgh, thanks in large part to Tomlin's vision.
Perhaps Tomlin's two biggest moves this offseason were the acquisitions of Ramsey and Rodgers. Tomlin loved Fitzpatrick and acknowledged that trading him was a difficult decision, both professionally and personally. But it turned out to be the right move given the impact Ramsey had on the Steelers defense.
Tomlin and Rodgers had long been mutual admirers, and that long-standing admiration ultimately led to positive offseason conversations that led to Rodgers signing with the Steelers instead of retiring. This led to Rodgers giving the Steelers his best performance at quarterback since then. Ben Roethlisberger.
While the talent acquisition has been impressive, Tomlin's management of the Steelers roster is even more impressive. Despite significant roster changes and the acquisition of several notable players, Tomlin's message continues to resonate with his players, who in turn continue to win games for their coach.
1. Aaron Rodgers
Quarterback is the most important position in sports, so it makes sense that Rodgers would take the top spot.
At the same time, Rogers took first place not only because of his position. His presence has been significant in many ways and is the main reason the Steelers are off to a 4-1 start.
On the field, Rodgers may not be playing at his MVP level, but he's not that far off.
Through five games, Rodgers has completed 68.8% of his passes with 10 touchdowns and three picks. He was a big reason why the Steelers have a top 10 ranking. NFL in the red zone offense, which was the main reason Pittsburgh wanted to sign him.
Rodgers is doing this with a team he joined shortly before minicamp and didn't take any direct snaps until the regular season opener. He's playing in a new offense and with new teammates, including a sophomore center and a group of untested outsiders outside of Metcalf and Calvin Austin IIIwho was injured and inactive during Sunday's win over the Browns.
What is the secret of Rogers' success? He covered every aspect of being a Steeler, which means getting to know the team's culture (including living in a dorm with Metcalf during training camp), getting to know his new teammates on a personal level, pushing those teammates in a way that's endearing, exercising a level of patience when things don't go well, and working in unison with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
It also helps that Rodgers still retains the elite talent that made him a surefire Hall of Famer on the first ballot.
Of course, this isn't what they expected to happen, but the Steelers have finally found Roethlisberger's successor. These two try to make the most of their time together, no matter how long it lasts.
Despite the 4-1 start, there are undoubtedly people who still doubt the Steelers, who started 10-3 last year before things fell apart. In that spirit, after his first training camp practice, Rodgers was asked about the Steelers game. Super Bowl prospects. Then he said the Steelers were likely among the 10 or 12 teams that had a legitimate shot at winning the Super Bowl.
After Sunday's win, Rodgers wasn't quite ready to call the Steelers the leader of the AFC. However, he was willing to admit that after five games, the Steelers are on the right track.
“That's where we want to be,” Rodgers said of his status as an AFC contender. “We give ourselves the opportunity to start that conversation.”
