Steelers defy NFL’s pillars of parity

PITTSBURGH — The NFL is not designed to work like this. If anything, the league is designed to prevent what the Pittsburgh Steelers have done for the past 22 years and counting. In a league that considers parity one of its pillars, particularly in the salary cap era, the Steelers are an outlier. Seasons come, seasons go, and Pittsburgh finds a way to make sure the number in the wins column is never smaller than the number in the loss column. When the Steelers improved to 9-6 after an equal parts thrilling and bizarre 29-24 victory over the Lions, they assured themselves of an NFL record 22nd straight season at .500 or better, breaking the mark of 21 they shared with the Dallas Cowboys,...