Bye-Week Notebook: Steelers Sit Atop a Stumbling AFC North as the Bengals Showdown Nears

The Pittsburgh Steelers do not play today, and that is just fine with them. At 6-2, alone in first place in the AFC North and riding a four-game winning streak into their Week 9 bye, Mike McCarthy's team gets to spend Sunday watching the division come to it. "We're 6-2 going into the bye, first in the division. We're right where we want to be," quarterback Aaron Rodgers said after last Sunday's 27-6 win over Cleveland. It is hard to argue. Pittsburgh has won four straight, beaten the Bengals already once this season, and survived a brutal travel stretch — three straight road games, including trips to Tampa and Paris — without losing its grip on first place. The division is already moving Pittsburgh's way The weekend started well for the Steelers before a ball was kicked off on Sunday. On Thursday night, the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Baltimore Ravens 33-10, dropping Baltimore to 4-5 with a fourth straight loss. The Ravens, who were supposed to be the class of the division in August, now sit two games behind Pittsburgh with a mini-bye to stew on it. Two more results today shape the race: - Cincinnati (5-2) vs. Atlanta, 9:30 a.m. ET, Madrid. The Bengals play the NFL's international game at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, then fly home and turn around for next Sunday night's showdown with Pittsburgh. A Bengals loss would drop them to 5-3 and leave the Steelers a full game clear before the rematch. - Cleveland (5-3) at New Orleans, 1 p.m. ET, CBS. The Browns, a game behind Pittsburgh after the Steelers beat them 27-6 last week, visit a Saints team the Steelers already handled 16-10 in Paris. A Cleveland loss would push the Browns to 5-4. All eyes on Cincinnati: Sunday night, November 15 The Steelers return to action in the biggest game of their season so far: Sunday Night Football at Paycor Stadium against the Bengals, November 15 at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. Pittsburgh won the first meeting 30-27 in Week 3, and the winner of the rematch takes sole possession of first place in the AFC North. The injury news is breaking Pittsburgh's way. Cincinnati placed standout pass rusher Cashius Howell on injured reserve this week after wrist surgery; the second-round rookie will miss at least four games, including the November 15 meeting. On the Steelers' side, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. has teased a return after the bye, which would give Rodgers another weapon for the stretch run. After Cincinnati comes another test: a trip to Philadelphia on November 22, where the Steelers have not won since 1965. The playoff picture If the season ended today, the Steelers would be the No. 3 seed in the AFC — and they would host the No. 6 seed Bengals in the wild-card round. That is a long way from settled, but it underlines how much the next two weeks matter: beat Cincinnati on Sunday night, and Pittsburgh does not just lead the division, it starts to look like a team playing January football at home. Projection: If the Bengals lose in Madrid this morning and the Steelers win in Cincinnati next Sunday, Pittsburgh would open a two-game lead in the division with seven games to play — and would hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over its closest rival. That is the best-case bye week. The flip side is just as real: a Bengals win today followed by a Cincinnati win next Sunday would hand first place to the Bengals outright. While the Steelers rest, Crosby makes history The loudest Pittsburgh sports moment of the weekend did not come from the gridiron. On Saturday night in Los Angeles, Sidney Crosby scored twice in the Penguins' 5-2 win over the Kings, and his second-period goal — his 1,772nd career point — moved him past Marcel Dionne (1,771) into sole possession of sixth place on the NHL's all-time scoring list. Crosby, 39, now has 1,773 points on 660 goals and 1,113 assists. Evgeni Malkin had three assists and passed Adam Oates for 20th on the all-time list (1,421 points), Tommy Novak scored twice, and rookie goaltender Sergei Murashov stopped 26 shots for his first win of the season. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak and a seven-game road skid for the Penguins, who were 0-6-1 away from home since the season opener. The Penguins (6-9-2) do not get to savor it long: they play the second night of a back-to-back tonight at Anaheim (8 p.m. ET, Honda Center, ESPN+ / SportsNet Pittsburgh) against a Ducks team sitting at 9-7-1. Pitt: bye week, then Florida State under the lights Pitt is also off this weekend after snapping its three-game losing streak with a 34-11 rout of Georgia Tech on Halloween night. Freshman running back Damon Ferguson Jr. ran for a career-high 185 yards and two touchdowns in that win, and the Panthers (6-3) are bowl-eligible. They return to Acrisure Stadium on Friday, November 13, hosting Florida State at 7 p.m. One more date to circle The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, November 10. The Steelers, sitting at 6-2 and first in the division, will be a team to watch — whether they stand pat with a roster that has won four straight or look for one more piece for the stretch run.