So, if you’re asking what place is the steelers in right now, the answer depends on whether you’re looking at the history books or the immediate wreckage of the postseason. As of mid-January 2026, the Pittsburgh Steelers officially finished the 2025-2026 regular season in first place in the AFC North.
They actually did it. They climbed back to the top of the mountain in one of the nastiest divisions in football, finishing with a 10-7 record. But honestly, if you walk into a Primanti Bros. in the Strip District today, nobody is throwing a parade. That’s because while they secured the No. 4 seed in the AFC, their playoff journey ended almost as soon as it began with a brutal 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans on January 12, 2026.
The Final Regular Season Standings
Getting to first place wasn't exactly a cakewalk. The AFC North was a meat grinder this year, but the Steelers managed to navigate it better than the rest of the pack. Here is how the divisional dust settled after Week 18:
Pittsburgh grabbed that top spot with 10 wins and 7 losses. They were a solid 4-2 within the division, which is basically the only reason they’re sitting at the top. The Baltimore Ravens followed in second at 8-9, while the Cincinnati Bengals (6-11) and Cleveland Browns (5-12) trailed behind.
It’s kind of wild when you look at the stats. The Steelers actually had a pretty narrow point differential, scoring 397 points and giving up 387. A +10 margin for a division winner is thin ice, but Mike Tomlin has always been the king of winning those ugly, one-score games that take years off your life.
How They Clinched the North
The turning point was that Week 18 thriller against the Ravens. Pittsburgh came into that game needing a win to secure the crown, and they pulled it off 26-24. It was vintage Steelers football: stressful, physical, and decided by a handful of plays in the fourth quarter. That victory didn't just give them the division title; it gave them their first AFC North championship since 2020. For a minute there, it felt like the old "Stairway to Seventh" energy was back.
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Where They Rank in the AFC Playoff Picture
Even though they won the division, they weren't the "big dogs" of the American Football Conference. Because their record was 10-7, they were ranked as the No. 4 seed.
In the NFL’s seeding logic, the four division winners get the top four spots. But since the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots both tore through the season with 14-3 records, and the Jacksonville Jaguars finished 13-4, the Steelers were relegated to the bottom of the "winners" bracket.
This meant they had to host the highest-ranked Wild Card team, which happened to be a terrifyingly hot Houston Texans squad. The Texans actually had a better regular-season record (12-5) than the Steelers, but because they didn't win their own division (thanks, Jags), they had to travel to Pittsburgh as the No. 5 seed.
The Reality of the "First Place" Finish
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. Being in "first place" sounds great until you see what happened in the Wild Card round. On Monday night, January 12, the Steelers’ season officially hit a brick wall.
Aaron Rodgers, who the front office brought in to be the "missing piece," had a nightmare of a game. He threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter that were both returned for touchdowns. You could practically hear the collective sigh of 60,000 fans at Acrisure Stadium. The Texans' defense, led by DeMeco Ryans, absolutely stifled the Steelers' run game and made the offense look prehistoric.
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The final score was 30-6. It was the first time in NFL history that a team lost a home playoff game to the Texans. It also extended the Steelers' postseason losing streak to seven games. That’s a stat that hurts way more than the "first place" title helps.
The Mike Tomlin Situation
The day after that loss, January 13, 2026, the news broke that Mike Tomlin was stepping down as head coach. After 19 seasons and a record of 193-114-2, he’s calling it a career. He leaves tied with the legendary Chuck Noll for the most wins in franchise history.
So, while the Steelers are technically the reigning AFC North champs, they are also a team without a head coach and with massive questions at quarterback. It’s a weird spot to be in—occupying the top of the division while simultaneously entering a total rebuild.
What’s Next for the Steelers in 2026?
Now that the season is over, "what place" they are in starts to matter for the 2026 NFL Draft and the next schedule. Because they won the division, they will face a "first-place schedule" next year.
That means they’ll have to play the division winners from the other AFC and NFC pools. Their 2026 home opponents are already set:
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- The usual suspects: Ravens, Bengals, Browns.
- Out of division: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, and Indianapolis Colts.
On the road, they’ll be heading to places like Philadelphia, New England, and Jacksonville. It’s a tough draw for a team that might be starting a rookie quarterback or a post-Rodgers veteran.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're following the team's standing for betting or just general fandom, here’s what you need to keep an eye on over the next few weeks:
- The Coaching Search: Since Tomlin is out, the Steelers' "place" in the AFC hierarchy will be determined by who they hire. Look for names like Ejiro Evero or even a blockbuster move for a recently fired veteran coach.
- The 2026 Draft Order: By finishing 10-7 and losing in the Wild Card round, the Steelers won't be picking in the top 10. They’ll likely be slotted in the late teens or early twenties (around pick 20 or 21), which makes finding a franchise QB a bit harder.
- Salary Cap Management: With Rodgers' future up in the air and several veterans like Cameron Heyward reaching the end of the line, the front office (Omar Khan) has some serious math to do.
The Steelers are currently the kings of the North, but it’s a shaky throne. The 2025 season proved they can still win the division, but the 2026 offseason will prove if they can ever win another playoff game.
Check the official NFL standings and the Steelers' team site regularly as the 2026 league year begins in March. This is when the "first place" roster starts to actually transform for the next run. Keep a close watch on the compensatory pick announcements and the scouting combine in February, as those will be the first real indicators of how the front office plans to fill the holes left by the 2025 exit.