It would have been natural to write off the Steelers after they lost quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (elbow) and opened the season 0-3.
Since then, however, they have pulled off one of their most impressive runs since coach Mike Tomlin was hired in 2006. They have won five of their past six games and pushed their way into the middle of the AFC playoff race.
Let's take a closer look at the playoff race through 10 weeks of the 2019 NFL season.
AFC
The Patriots emerged from their bye week with a one-game lead in the race for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, though the Ravens hold the head-to-head tiebreaker if it comes to that.