Madden Monday: 'It's amazing how bad the (AFC) North is' — Steelers 'should go 6-0 in that division'

The Pittsburgh Steelers just had a great week, and they didn’t even play.

Mike Tomlin’s team was on its bye, and while the players rested following their win in Ireland last week, the rest of the AFC North lost.

Cleveland fell to Minnesota in England, 21-17. The Cincinnati Bengals dropped a 37-24 decision at home to Detroit, and the Baltimore Ravens were pummeled by Houston, 44-10.

That means the Steelers are atop the division at 3-1. Cincinnati is next at 2-3. Both Cleveland and Baltimore are at 1-4. The Steelers play the two Ohio teams over the next 10 days.

The division’s issues are most obvious at quarterback. Baltimore is playing without Lamar Jackson, the Bengals don’t have Joe Burrow right now, and the Browns are trying to swim with Dillon Gabriell.

During this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X can’t help but notice how much the division has slipped from preseason expectations — and how the Steelers might be in a prime position to win it.

“It’s amazing how bad the North is. Baltimore, with Lamar out, looks like they’ve quit. Cincinnati, with Burrow out, I’m sure they’ve quit. It wouldn’t shock me if Cleveland rallied and got second place in the division,” Madden said.

“The Steelers’ thought should even be a little bit in the back of their minds — beyond just winning the division and getting a home playoff game — be on getting the top seed in the AFC, and maybe get a bye in the Wild Card round. You look at that division, they haven’t played a game yet in the AFC North, they should go 6-0 in that division.”

In that Ravens’ loss, according to the Associated Press, the 34-point margin in the Baltimore-Houston game matched both the most lopsided road win in Texans’ history and the most lopsided home loss in Ravens’ history.

Injuries or not, Madden puts the blame on coach John Harbaugh.

“It’s hard to decide between who’s more overrated, him or (Mike) Tomlin,” Madden said. “They each have a Super Bowl win on their resume. But I think he’s rotten, and I don’t think he knows what to do with Lamar out. … They’re not quite folding their tents, but they’re not far from.”

However, Madden isn’t ready to give the Steelers the division just yet. He’s not even sure they’ll beat the Browns at home Sunday.

“They’re starting five rookies, including the running back, including Dillon Gabriel at quarterback. They’re getting better. The way they’ve handled their young guys, Stefanski is clearly a way better coach than Mike Tomlin,” Madden argued. “He has two Coach of the Year awards to prove it. And he’s laying the groundwork for later this season, for the future beyond that. And you look at how Cleveland has handled their rookies compared to Pittsburgh, and how they’ve mangled Broderick Jones and Roman Wilson and Kaleb Johnson. The better coach is on Cleveland’s sideline, put it that way. That puts this game — not up for grabs — but, it gives Cleveland a puncher’s chance.”

Also, during the podcast, Madden and I discuss the start of the Penguins’ season, Dylan McKenna’s debut for Penn State hockey, Penn State’s horrible football loss at UCLA, and Pitt’s quarterback change.