With 6-3 record, Steelers brace for back-to-back trips against AFC North opponents

After concluding a three-game home stretch Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers began looking ahead to a tour of Ohio that awaits at a crucial juncture of their schedule.

“AFC North football, here we come,” defensive captain Cameron Heyward said after the Steelers’ 23-19 victory against the Green Bay Packers.

The Steelers return to divisional play Sunday when they play the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals in back-to-back trips to the buckeye state. It is their first foray into the AFC North since they headed into their bye week with a 17-10 victory against Baltimore.

The Steelers have won three of four since that meeting and four of their past five, but they face a Browns team that has an identical 6-3 record after dispatching the Ravens on Sunday with a last-second field goal.

The Ravens are in first place at 7-3 but could tumble out of the top spot with a loss to 5-4 Cincinnati on Thursday night.

“We’re in a pretty good spot, but we’ve still got a long way to go,” cornerback Patrick Peterson said. “We have a lot of football to play. Now, we’re about to roll into the AFC North cycle. The road is going to be tough for us, and we have to keep our head down and keep fighting.”

No longer is a trip to Cleveland Browns Stadium an automatic win for the Steelers as was the case for much of Ben Roethlisberger’s career. The Steelers are 1-3-1 in their past five trips to Cleveland, including a 29-17 loss last season with Mitch Trubisky at quarterback.

In the Week 2 matchup this year at Acrisure Stadium, the Steelers needed two defensive touchdowns to escape with a 26-22 victory. It was a win that set the tone for the season given that the Steelers have needed late interceptions to hold on for three other victories this season.

“Every win is big,” inside linebacker Elandon Roberts said. “It’s November football. Every game from this point forward gets bigger. We are running into division opponents, we’re going on the road for two weeks and we have a good division. You all see it. It’s no secret.”

Roberts is one of the few cogs that has remained in place the entire season for the Steelers. In the past two weeks, he has watched fellow linebackers Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander sustain season-ending injuries. Heyward missed six games before returning to the win against Tennessee. All-Pro free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury, and strong safety Keanu Neal was unable to play the final series against Green Bay when he injured his ribs on an interception return.

“There are a lot of things to be concerned about the course of this journey. Injuries are part of the game,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “It’s as much a part of the game as blocking and tackling. I’ve learned over the years not to worry about those who aren’t available to me but to focus my energies on those that are available to make sure they are ready and prepared and focused.”

Fitzpatrick could return Sunday, and tight end Pat Freiermuth is eligible to be activated from injured reserve after missing the required four games. The Steelers weathered Freiermuth’s absence by re-establishing the running game behind Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.

For the first time this season, the Steelers scored touchdowns on their first two drives, and they also got points on their first three possessions for the first time since Week 13 in 2022. But any chance of the Steelers rolling to a comfortable victory evaporated when they had to punt on five of their final seven possessions.

The Packers briefly grabbed the lead in the third quarter before the second and third field goals of the game by Chris Boswell and interceptions by Neal and Damontae Kazee allowed the Steelers to eke out the win.

“I’m proud, but there is still a lot of stuff to work on,” Heyward said. “I don’t get excited by being 6-3 in the middle of the season; 6-3 is a good mark, but there is a lot of football in front of us.”

Still, it beats the alternative. Last season at this juncture, the Steelers were 3-6 after coming out of the bye with a victory against New Orleans. Counting that win, the Steelers have won 13 of their past 18 games but only two by more than one score. Each of their six wins this season have been determined by seven points or fewer.

“It’s crazy that all these games are tight,” outside linebacker Alex Highsmith said. “It just shows that in those pressure moments we make the big plays. We have to put ourselves in position where we don’t necessarily have to make those plays, and we should be better so we don’t have to have such a heart attack at the end of games.”