When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 season, they have put themselves in the driver’s seat to bring home the AFC North title with four games remaining in the season. While nothing is set in stone at this time, the Steelers have secured at least a second place finish in the division. And while the Steelers host the best record in individual games, this does not always tell the full story.

Over the last two seasons, no one has had a better AFC North record than the Pittsburgh Steelers. When it came to overall standings, the Steelers finished third in both seasons. Although division games do go a long way, games against common opponents is what separates teams the most.

While each team of the division has six games against all the other teams, they have eight games against teams in which every team in the division plays the same opponent. With it being one AFC division and one NFC division each year, often what separates teams in the division, especially one as tough as the AFC North, is how they fare against these other opponents.

Going back two seasons when the AFC North had every team finish at 3–3 in the division, it was the eight games against the AFC East and NFC south that separated the final standings. Things lined up almost perfectly in the final standings of the division based on common opponents from the easy games:

Looking at the 2023 season, where the AFC North played the AFC South and the NFC West, the Steelers went 5–1 against the AFC North yet finished third in the division. The reason this was the case was because the Steelers were only team in their division to have a losing record against these eight opponents:

Looking at the importance of the separation in the AFC North and playing every team in two other divisions, the Steelers had made a vast improvement in this category in 2024. With all games not complete and every AFC North team having one more game to go against these common opponents, although the Steelers have two, how things are trending at this time shows the separation within the division:

As you can see, The Steelers falling short against common opponents is not something that will be true for the 2024 season. Even if the Baltimore Ravens win their remaining NFC East match up against the New York Giants, and if the Steelers come up short with both of their games remaining against the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, the worst that the Steelers can do is tie for the best record against these common eight opponents within the division. If the Steelers win one of their two matchups, or if the Ravens fall to the Giants, then the Steelers would wrap up the best record among common opponents in the AFC North.

While this record is not the determining factor for everything with teams, it does go a long way in separating teams in a division that often has very tight divisional records. If the Steelers can have the best record against common opponents in the AFC North, they will all but ensure their first divisional title since the 2020 season.

Additionally, if the Steelers would happen to drop games to the Philadelphia Eagles and/or the Kansas City Chiefs, they will be inline with the rest of the division as no one in the AFC North has defeated either of this teams so far this season. If the Pittsburgh Steelers want to separate themselves above the rest of the division, winning one of those two games would go a long way.