There are still many hesitant to believe in the Pittsburgh Steelers as a serious contender in the AFC playoffs. I have reservations of my own, and certainly understand if others are still waiting for the other shoe to drop. But when a longtime AFC North rival player starts to state his opinion of the Steelers being contenders, it is worth a listen.

Cleveland Browns legend Joe Thomas joined The Rich Eisen Show on Thursday and was asked who the biggest challenger to the Kansas City Chiefs was out of the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, and Steelers.

“It’s interesting because the Ravens is that team that you want to pick, but their pass defense is so terrible that as soon as, in your mind, you match them up against a team like the Chiefs, you’re thinking, how do they ever stop Patrick Mahomes throwing the ball?” Thomas said in a video on Rich Eisen’s YouTube channel. “…I don’t really believe in the Bills. I just feel like when you watch them, they’re a team that seems to be flawed because I don’t think they fully believe in themselves as contenders to beat the Chiefs.

“So I would actually say the Steelers are probably a team that could knock off the Chiefs. Because you can’t exactly say why they win these games…But they don’t make mistakes. They don’t beat themselves and they play such good defense. T.J. Watt, the ultimate closer out there on the edge rushing the quarterback would give Patrick Mahomes a ton of problems. And if they can run the ball and play tough, sometimes that’s the formula that wins games in the playoffs.”

The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season, and that loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game started the current five-game streak of losses in the postseason. It is the biggest blemish on Mike Tomlin’s coaching record, and something the organization is desperate to put past them this season.

With Russell Wilson, a Super Bowl winning quarterback, they finally have all the ingredients in place to make it happen. Najee Harris is playing the best football of his career. The Steelers are dramatically winning the turnover battle with a plus-10 differential. They have the No. 2 scoring defense in the league, allowing under 15 points per game. And the special teams unit has proven it can consistently provide a spark to help turn the tides of games. They are as well-rounded as an NFL team comes with very good coaching.

We won’t have to wait long to find out if they are capable of making a run in the postseason. Up next are the 7-2 Washington Commanders before the Steelers take on the 7-3 Baltimore Ravens. And there will be a preview of what could potentially become the AFC Championship Game on Christmas Day between the Steelers and Chiefs.

This contender hype is either going to crescendo to new heights over the next couple weeks, or it will crash and burn as the Steelers fall back into the middle of the pack in the AFC.