With seven games played, the 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers are 5-2 record and sit at the top of the AFC North. And while they would currently lose the tiebreaker for the division crown to the Browns, they have a chance to right the wrong of their earlier season loss to Cleveland in their next game.
Are the Steelers Overrated or Underrated?
However, despite being in the division race and riding a three-game win streak, many are sill doubting the Steelers. Aaron Rodgers’ age – he will turn 43 in December – and the inconsistency of the offense has some believing Pittsburgh has just been taking advantage of an easier part of their schedule in recent weeks and will fade down the stretch.
But Gregg Rosenthal, host of the NFL’s daily podcast (“NFL Daily”) disagrees with those being pessimistic about Pittsburgh’s chances to contend. In fact, he believes the Steelers have now become underrated.
Gregg Rosenthal Explains His Reasoning for Arguing the Steelers Are Underrated
“I think they’re an underrated team, I’ve enjoyed watching them play. I think they have just enough playmakers on both sides of the ball to make them a good watch each week,” Rosenthal said on the Oct. 25th edition of his show.
“They’re at 5-2, a little better, I think, than expectation. I keep believing the ceiling is just a little higher for this team if it all can come together. Because the coaching is better.”
Aaron Rodgers and the Defense Are Why to Believe in Pittsburgh So Far
And to his point, Rodgers is enjoying a career renaissance type of final season. He’s thrown for 1,699 passing yards while completing 61.6% of his attempts with 13 touchdowns to five interceptions. Rodgers threw for 3,322 yards with 24 touchdown passes in 16 games in 2025, although he did only give up seven picks all year.
Most importantly, the Steeles, who opened the season with a few rough defensive performances, have allowed the sixth fewest total yards against on an average and the seventh fewest against the ground. In the past three weeks, Pittsburgh’s defensive front has held top running backs in check, with Jonathan Taylor running for just 45 yards, Bucky Irving 46 and the Saints only putting up 11 as a team.
The Steelers will have to keep proving themselves though, as the upcoming schedule increases in difficulty. After their rematch with Cleveland, Pittsburgh will visit Cincinnati, play at Philadelphia and then welcome Denver to Acrisure Stadium over the next four weeks.
‘NFL Daily’ Host Joins Debate About if Steelers Are Overrated or Underrated