The Pittsburgh Steelers still lead the AFC North, but signs of trouble are growing. After Sunday’s 35-25 home loss to the Green Bay Packers and a blunt warning from Aaron Rodgers, ESPN’s Rich Eisen added to the concern. His urgent tone carried a message too sharp to ignore.

The analyst pointed straight to a tough road ahead for the Steelers. “They currently lead it with a 4-3 record. And the only one that’s close to them is the 3-5 Cincinnati Bengals, the 2-5 Ravens as well . They play them both twice, win those games. Then you have to worry about who’s coming in your house for a wild card contest.”

Eisen’s warning struck a chord. He knows how close things are in the AFC North. If the Steelers don’t win their division games, they could miss the playoffs. And with three tough matchups ahead, their season could be decided very soon.

First up, a home test against the high-flying Indianapolis Colts, whose offense has been lighting up scoreboards. Then comes a long trip west to face the Los Angeles Chargers under the bright prime-time lights. Both games demand perfection, and that’s something the Steelers haven’t shown lately.

But the real test will be a home showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. And Eisen made it clear, winning it matters most for Rodgers and his crew. “The end of the day, when your division games, you win your division. You host a playoff game and see what happens and get that lottery ticket.”

Still, Eisen didn’t sugarcoat the bigger concern. “But they have to do it by outscoring teams. And like you said, they can’t get the ball in the end zone. So that’s kind of a big issue.” Guess what? It’s the same issue Aaron Rodgers has been warning about.

Aaron Rodgers’ blunt warning to his teammates

Sunday Night Football’s loss was more than just another setback for the Steelers. It was supposed to be a real test, a chance to prove they could hang with another contender like the Packers. Instead, they left the stadium searching for answers.

Costly errors and missed chances once again flipped what could’ve been a statement win into a tough defeat. And if there’s anyone who understands how thin the margin for error is in this league, it’s Aaron Rodgers.

“I just feel like we had some discipline issues and some penalties that were unnecessary. Then, you’re not going to win a lot of games when we’re so bad on third down,” Rodgers said. “You’re playing good teams, you need to score touchdowns, and we just stalled out in the high red zone.”

Now, the Steelers find themselves at a crossroads. Despite starting at 4-1, back-to-back losses have dropped them to 4-3. They still sit atop the AFC North, but that cushion feels thinner by the week. Suddenly, the division looks open again, and the Steelers look beatable. And Aaron Rodgers knows that.

“Disappointed I didn’t play better, and we didn’t play better, especially in the second half,” Rodgers said.

And now, the question is: can Rodgers and the Steelers turn it around before it’s too late?