CBS Sports calls the 6-2 Steelers pretenders before their Sunday night trip to Cincinnati

The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the AFC North at 6-2, but at least one national voice doesn't see them as a Super Bowl team. At the midpoint of the season, CBS Sports writer Jordan Dajani sorted the 14 teams currently in playoff position. He put Pittsburgh with the pretenders, next to the Giants, Patriots and Panthers. Cincinnati, the Steelers' next opponent, landed with the contenders.

Dajani's view is that the Steelers without Mike Tomlin look a lot like the Steelers with him. He called them "a feisty team that can make the playoffs and maybe even steal the division," but said they are not a real title threat. He did make a case for them as a sleeper. Aaron Rodgers' offense has scored 26.2 points per game over the last six games. Jaylen Warren has 998 total yards in eight games, fifth in the league.

The ranking gets tested right away. The Bengals are also 6-2, and Dajani rated them contenders mostly because of Joe Burrow, who has 26 total touchdowns through eight games, a pace Dajani tied to past MVP winners. His main doubt about Cincinnati was the running game. The Bengals average 85.6 rushing yards per game, the fewest for a team starting 6-2 or better since the 2014 Lions.

What it means for Sunday at Cincinnati

Pittsburgh's results argue against the label. The Steelers have won four straight, the latest a 27-6 win over Cleveland. They have allowed 18.0 points per game, which ties for fourth-lowest in the league, according to a separate CBS Sports breakdown by Tyler Sullivan. Both of their losses came on the road: 20-3 at New England and 27-24 at Cleveland. They have also already beaten the Bengals once this season, 30-27 at home in Week 3.

Sullivan sees a scheduling edge for Pittsburgh. The Steelers are coming off their bye, while Cincinnati is returning from an international game in Madrid. He also pointed out that the Bengals are tied for the most yards allowed per carry (5.0), which suits Warren. Sullivan picked the Steelers to win outright. The game kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, and NBC Sports has posted a preview of the matchup with Tomlin and Cris Collinsworth.

The market agrees more with Dajani than with Sullivan. Cincinnati is favored by 3.5 points across the 11 venues on this site's board for the game. On Novig, one of those venues, the Bengals are -174 on the moneyline and the Steelers are +167. On the spread, Novig has Pittsburgh +3.5 at -108 and Cincinnati -3.5 at +102. Novig's total is 49.5, while the best Over price anywhere is Pinnacle's -117 at 48.5. The venues are close together: sportsbook hold runs from 3.0% to 5.3% on the moneyline and 2.8% to 5.0% on the spread.

The outlook flips one week later. For the November 22 game at Philadelphia, Pittsburgh is favored by 4.5. Novig has the Steelers at -223 on the moneyline, and the best price anywhere is DraftKings at -198. Sunday night in Cincinnati is the game most likely to decide whether the pretender label holds up.