The road to the AFC North title now runs through Cincinnati. The Bengals earned a trip to the Super Bowl on Sunday and proved there is a new sheriff in town.
Watching the 2021 season play out gives the Pittsburgh Steelers a very clear picture of what they will be facing as they begin the team’s most significant rebuild in decades. The Bengals built this team in a stretch of just two seasons going from dead last in the division to the Super Bowl.
They did it through a shrewd set of moves, mixing in smart free-agency decisions and aggressive drafting that included quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
The Steelers would be wise if they want to keep pace with the Bengals to follow a similar formula as best the draft and free agency will allow. But the big takeaway here is to not be complacent and instead be proactive about updating the roster and scheme in order to keep pace and not just hope they can hang with the best teams in the AFC.
