The Pittsburgh Steelers were among the NFL’s best teams during the second half of the 2015 season and that has a lot of sportsbooks leaning toward the Steelers as the team to beat in the AFC North in 2016. A middling 4-4 at mid-season and losers of two straight, the Steelers went 6-2 in the second half of the season, posting victories over the AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals and the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. A 28-12 win over the Cleveland Browns on the last weekend of the campaign, coupled with a 22-17 loss by the New York Jets against the Buffalo Bills left the Steelers and Jets deadlocked at 10-6.
Pittsburgh earned the final AFC wildcard position via a tiebreaker and the Steelers went into Cincinnati and upset the Bengals in the opening round of the playoffs before falling to the Broncos in the second round.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are the epitome of better late than never. The Steelers never made the playoff during their entire run in the old NFL, posting just eight winning seasons during their first 39 seasons.
Shifted to the AFC in the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, the Steelers also missed out on postseason play in their first two seasons in that conference, but there’s been plenty of gravy ever since. Pittsburgh is tied with the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots, each with a record eight Super Bowl appearances, and the Steelers have have won a record six Super Bowls.
Best Pittsburgh Steelers Betting Lines
We provide the best Steelers betting lines below so keep your eye on them and find the game that is most appealing. Don’t forget to take into account the variety of betting types.
Pittsburgh Steelers Regular Season Schedule
The Pittsburgh Steelers played one of the toughest schedules in the NFL in 2015 and still managed to rack up 10 wins and earn a playoff spot for the second straight season.
Pittsburgh’s 2016 slate doesn’t figure to be as demanding as two of their toughest non-division opponents – the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs – must come to Heinz Field to face the Steelers.
The Steelers close the campaign with three division games – at Cincinnati against the Bengals before returning home to face the Batlimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, so their fate should be in their own hands.
Pittsburgh was 10-6 on paper and a solid 9-6-1 against the spread in 2015. Despite their potent attack the Steelers were a poor 6-10 in the over/under, including a 2-6 struggle away from home.
What Are The Pittsburgh Steelers Standings
The AFC North standings are right here and while it figures to be a tight race in 2016 between the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens for division honors, the Steelers will be right there in the heart of the fight.
Seven times since 2001 the Steelers have worn the division crown. Four times they’ve finished second and four times they’ve finished third.
Over that time frame Pittsburgh has made the playoffs, posting a 13-8 record while playing in three Super Bowls and winning two of them. The Steelers have never suffered a losing season under head coach Mike Tomlin.
The last time the Steelers finished fourth in the division was in 1999, when they ended up 6-10. It was one of only two times since 1989 that Pittsburgh endured a double-digit loss season.
How To Win Pittsburgh Steelers Bets
When Pittsburgh was dominating the NFL in the 1970s, that dominance was powered by the Steel Curtain, a punishing defense that smothered the opposition into submission.
The 2015 Steelers fashioned their rally behind a high-octane offense that scored at least 30 points in six successive games during the second half of the NFL season. The Steelers led the AFC in total offense (395.4 yards) and passing offense (287.7 yards).
Five Steelers caught at least 40 passes, led by the 136 balls for 1834 yards grabbed by receiver Antonio Brown, both franchise records.
Brown caught 10 passes for touchdowns, and also ran back a punt for a TD, while running back DeAngelo Williams rushed for 11 TDs on the ground.
Even though they never made the playoffs until 1972 and didn't win a title until 1974, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the fourth-winningest team in NFL history in terms of championships with six wins, all of them Super Bowl titles.
Only the Green Bay Packers (13), Chicago Bears (nine) and New York Giants (eight) have won more NFL titles than the Steelers, who are 6-2 in the Super Bowl.
Pittsburgh's 15 AFC Championship Game appearances are also an record, as are the 11 home-field games played by the Steelers in those AFC Championship contests.
The Steelers also hold a winning slate against all three of their division rivals - .622 over the Cincinnati Bengals, .571 against the Baltimore Ravens and .540 versus the Cleveland Browns.
Is there a more exciting player in the NFL today than Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown? Besides his franchise record 136 receptions and 1834 receiving yards, Brown established several NFL marks during the 2015 season that displayed exaclty how dominant a player he's been in recent years.
Brown posted a new NFL record for receptions in a two-year span (265) and in a three-year run (375). His four games with 175 or more yards was also an NFL record, as were his two games of 16 or more receptions.
Brown capped off his sensational season by appearing on Dancing With The Stars, reaching the semi-final stage of the competition.
