Are Steelers a real-deal Super Bowl contender after dismantling Browns for first place?

The Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) have moved to the top of the AFC North following their decisive 27-6 victory over the surprising Cleveland Browns in Week 8. The Steelers appear to be responding well to first-year coach Mike McCarthy. They have won their last four games, and they are going to have a chance to get some rest and rehab during their bye week before they face their most critical game of the season when they go on the road to play the explosive Cincinnati Bengals.

If Aaron Rodgers can make the critical plays in that game and the Steelers can come away with the victory, they should have the inside track on winning the division. However, gaining the division title is not why Rodgers returned for his final season or the reason that McCarthy took the job that had belonged to Mike Tomlin for so many years. This team wants to have a deep run in the playoffs and add to the franchise's legacy as a Super Bowl participant.

A good season to this point does not mean that the Steelers will become a dominant team in the playoffs. The bigger question is how will the Steelers compare to AFC powers including the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs.

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The answer has not been determined yet, but the Steelers are on the right track, and if they are going to play with the best teams in the AFC and beat them, they are going to need Rodgers to finish the year in a powerful fashion, they are going to need Jaylen Warren to continue to provide a solid running game and an explosive finish from disappointing WR D.K. Metcalf.

This is a difficult season for Rodgers, even if he is leading a first-place team. He made up his mind that he is retiring at the age of 43 (as of Dec. 2) when this season concludes, and that means that he is thinking of his life past football. Perhaps his concentration remains at a high level on GameDay, but a part of Rodgers is thinking about how much more comfortable life will be when he is not taking painful hits on an every-game basis.

Rodgers' numbers are quite good this season as he has completed 175 of 288 passes for 1,871 yards with 13 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.

Rodgers has been sacked 23 times, but the success of Warren in the running game can take quite a bit of pressure off of the quarterback. Warren has 704 yards on the ground, he is averaging 5.9 yards per carry and has scored 7 touchdowns. Warren is clearly having the best season of his 5-year career. He rushed for 958 yards last year, and he should blow by that mark well before December.

Metcalf is the Steelers' big-play receiver, and McCarthy will need more from him as the season progresses. He has caught 33 passes for 378 yards with just 1 touchdown. Those are ordinary numbers and if the Steelers are going to beat the best teams in the AFC, he is going to have to pick up his level of play.

The big advantage that the Steelers passing game has going forward is the play of their tight ends. Huge Darnell Washington has caught 19-254-3 and fellow TE Pat Freiermuth has caught 25-235-4. Freiermuth is an outstanding red zone and third-down weapon, and the closer the Steelers get to the most critical games of the year, the greater his focus is likely to be.

T.J. Watt and the defense is capable of dominating

The Steelers have been more than solid on defense this season. They are allowing 18.0 points per game and that ranks fourth in the NFL. They also rank sixth in yards allowed and third in rushing yards allowed.

While this is not the famed Steel Curtain defense, this unit can put its imprint on any game. The key is the relentless pass rush of outside linebacker T.J. Watt. He has 7.5 sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3 passes batted down, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.

Every great defense usually has that one dominant player who can set the tone, and Watt is that player for the Steelers.

He also has key teammates that also contributing to the defensive effort. Two of those teammates are linebackers Payton Wilson and Patrick Queen. Wilson leads the Steelers with 69 tackles and he also had 7 tackles for loss and 3 passes batted down. Queen has 60 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 4 passes batted down and 1 forced fumble.

Cornerback Jamel Dean is something of a secret weapon for the Steelers defense. He has 30 tackles, 8 passes defensed, 1 interception and 3 forced fumbles.

While Rodgers and the offense are clearly going to have to step up if the Steelers are going to prove themselves as Super Bowl contenders, the defense is going to have to make multiple statements. Watt & Co. look like a unit that could get even stronger when the season reaches its most crucial moments.

The Steelers are not Super Bowl contenders yet, but they have the ability to climb the mountain and get there.