The Steelers are rested, healthy and in first place. Not that Mike Tomlin wants to talk about it

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t play a down last weekend. Their early hold on the AFC North strengthened anyway.

While the Steelers rested up following the first regular-season game in Dublin, Ireland — a milestone win over the Minnesota Vikings that boosted them to 3-1 — the teams chasing them fell further off pace and in some cases, further into disarray (see the Ravens Ravnes ).

The Cincinnati Bengals have dropped three straight games in lopsided fashion since Joe Burrow’s big toe bent the wrong way. The banged-up Ravens are a mess and coming off maybe the most disheartening loss in coach John Harbaugh’s 18-year tenure. The last-place Cleveland Browns visit Acrisure Stadium on Sunday with the NFL’s second-lowest scoring offense and a rookie quarterback in Dillon Gabriel making his second career start.

Just don’t expect coach Mike Tomlin to get too caught up in the standings in early October, even if Pittsburgh is by far the healthiest and accomplished (so far) team in a division that doesn’t look nearly as formidable as it did six weeks ago.

“I don’t care what happened with other people, particularly last weekend,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “It’s about us coming off the bye and getting ready for our game this week. I’m not a big-picture guy.”

Maybe, but the little picture is pretty rosy, too. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and his balky hamstring could return to the lineup for the first time since the opener. Outside linebacker Alex Highsmith’s ankle was well enough to practice on Monday. If they’re able to return, Pittsburgh’s leaky but opportunistic defense could be at or near full health for the first time since the first half of Week 1 as long as defensive back Jalen Ramsey’s hamstring is good to go.

And while Tomlin might not publicly admit he was keeping tabs on Pittsburgh’s rivals, his players were.

“I was watching every AFC North game I watched,” Highsmith said. “It was nice to see those teams lose this week. So we got to take advantage of it.”

The Steelers face both Cleveland and Cincinnati in a span of five days over the next two weeks. If they can navigate that successfully, they would be well positioned to win the division for the first time since 2020.

Tomlin remains wary, in part because he’s paid to be. Pittsburgh hasn’t played a complete game yet, though the victory over the Vikings was trending in that direction until it flirted with letting a double-digit lead slip away over the final 10 minutes.

The Steelers held on, allowing Tomlin to provide his team with a teachable moment should one be needed.

For every promising development — such as Pittsburgh’s efficiency in the red zone, where the Steelers are converting nearly 70% of their trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line into touchdowns — there is something that could be improved, like increasing the frequency of red-zone opportunities, where Pittsburgh is very much in the middle of the pack.

“At this stage of the game, man, it’s about getting better,” Tomlin said.

Pittsburgh’s only injury problem on offense is the tender shoulder of wide receiver Calvin Austin III, who endured an “uncomfortable” plane ride back across the Atlantic after being evaluated at an Irish hospital. He thanked the doctors for their care but declined to provide any specifics on when he might be available.

If Austin can’t play, the Steelers could turn to veteran Scotty Miller or second-year pro Roman Wilson, who had a promising training camp but barely has seen the field and has all of one catch for seven yards.

Tomlin, however, stressed that Wilson’s lack of participation has more to do with the personnel packages the Steelers use on a week-to-week basis than any step backward in his development.

“It’s still very early in this process,” Tomlin said. “We’ve got 13 straight games ahead of us. So keep watching.”

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