5 things we learned from Steelers 23, Browns 9:

1. Divisional divide

A third of the way through the season and arguably the NFL’s most competitive division is in a state of disarray.

Since Week 3, no AFC North team has won a game other than the Steelers. Every team except for the Steelers has a losing record, with the Browns and Ravens bringing up the rear at 1-5. The Bengals, who face the Steelers on Thursday night at Paycor Stadium, have lost four in a row.

This is from the same division that has produced at least three teams with winning records in each of the past three seasons. In 2023, all four teams finished with winning records.

According to Steelers PR research, teams that open the season with a 4-1 record have reached the playoffs 78.9% of the time and win their division 53.3% of the time. This obviously bodes well for the Steelers.

A win Thursday in Cincinnati would give the Steelers a three-and-a-half game lead over the Bengals, and they would be four games ahead of the Ravens and Browns. The Ravens have a bye this week, and the Browns play the fellow 1-5 Miami Dolphins.

Now, it’s time to throw cold water on any premature celebration. Let’s not forget that just last season the Steelers were 10-3 and held a two-game lead in the division with four to play. Or that the Steelers in 2020 needed a win against Indianapolis — their only one in the final five weeks — to win the division following an 11-0 start. Then there was 2018 when the Steelers were 7-2-1 and the Ravens were 5-5 with six games remaining. The Steelers only won two more games and missed the playoffs altogether.

It’s also no lock that the Steelers will win Thursday in Cincinnati. Consider that the Steelers are 0-6 when playing a divisional road game on a Thursday night under Tomlin. That includes a 24-19 loss at Cleveland last year after the Steelers had started 8-2 and were coming off a divisional home win against Baltimore.

2. Red success

The Steelers continue to be one of the best teams in the NFL in scoring touchdowns when getting inside the red zone. They got another such score Sunday when Aaron Rodgers’ found tight end Connor Heyward in the back of the end zone for a 12-yard TD in the third quarter.

The Steelers have gotten touchdowns on 71.43% of their trips inside the 20, which is tied for fifth in the league. The issue, though, for the Steelers is actually getting inside the red zone.

Through five games, the Steelers have been inside an opponent’s 20-yard line 14 times. They didn’t penetrate the red zone once in the first half and held just a 9-0 lead because of three long Chris Boswell field goals. This despite the Steelers dominating the time of possession and yardage totals for much of the first half.

3. Flying flags

Coach Mike Tomlin opened his press conference Monday again expressing disappointment in the Steelers collecting 10 penalties for 59 yards. It was the most penalties called against the Steelers this season and just the second time they had been flagged more than five times in a game.

What bothered Tomlin was that the Steelers were aware that referee Ron Torbert’s crew had a penchant for throwing flags. Torbert’s crew had called 88 penalties in five games this season, an average of 17.6 flags per game that ranked second-most in the NFL. The crew accounted for the third-most penalties called in 2024.

Some of the penalties called against the Steelers were costly. Ke’Shawn Williams’ 47-yard punt return was negated by Jabrill Peppers’ blindside block. Cam Heyward’s illegal-use-of-the-hands infraction aided the Browns on a field goal drive at the end of the first half. DeShon Elliott’s penalty for unnecessary roughness led to another field goal. T.J. Watt was flagged twice for neutral zone infractions.

4. Time after time

For the first time this season, the Steelers possessed the football longer than their opponent. The final stats will show the Steelers controlled the clock for 31 minutes, 52 seconds — a sign that the offense is putting together longer drives than in the first month of the season.

The numbers are deceiving. The Steelers had the ball for more than 17 minutes in the first half and for nearly 28 minutes through three quarters. With a 17-point lead after the first play of the fourth quarter, the Steelers were content to let the Browns run down the clock while trying to get back into the game. That skewed the final numbers as the Steelers had the ball for just 4:14 of the final 15 minutes.

5. Snap decisions

Darnell Washington continued to be the workhorse at tight end by playing 80% of the offensive snaps. In the Steelers’ previous game, Washington logged 91% of the snaps. Jonnu Smith played 69% of the snaps as Pat Freiermuth again wasn’t much of a factor in the offense. Freiermuth played 36% of the snaps, a slight increase from his 28% participation against the Vikings.

Tomlin said the workload might not change against the Bengals, who also deploy a 4-3 defense that makes it favorable for the Steelers to use bigger-bodied tight ends such as Washington.

With Calvin Austin missing the game with a shoulder injury, no receiver aside from No. 1 threat DK Metcalf played more than half the snaps. Scotty Miller was on the field for 26 of 59 offensive plays, followed by Roman Wilson (15) and Ben Skowronek (10). Wilson was the only receiver aside from Metcalf to receive a target and that happened just once.

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