The Pittsburgh Steelers are the only team in the AFC North that had never been featured on “Hard Knocks,” so their loss to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night served as a proper introduction to the behind-the-scenes spectacle captured on camera by HBO and NFL Films.

Blowing a late lead in a snowstorm was a spoiler for the Steelers but provided the perfect setup for “Hard Knocks: In Season with the AFC North,” which will debut Dec. 3 on HBO.

“It’s painful, but it’s life in this business,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of the 24-19 loss to the Browns. “We’ll take a look at the tape and learn from it. Man, we’re in the midst of some thick AFC North action so no rest for the weary. We’ve got a big one coming up.”

When the Steelers were eliminated from playoff contention in late December 2019, a dejected Tomlin added some levity to a postseason news conference with his response to a question about whether the Steelers would participate in “Hard Knocks” the following training camp if asked.

“Asked?” Tomlin said, tilting his head and drawing laughter as he flashed a wide grin.

The moment of levity in #Steelers coach Mike Tomlin’s final news conference, thanks to a @JColony13 question and @tribjoerutter follow-up about #HardKnocks. pic.twitter.com/E8zRmcoY0O

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) December 31, 2019

This time, “Hard Knocks” wants to showcase a division that made NFL history last season, when the Baltimore Ravens (13-4), Cleveland Browns (11-6), Steelers (10-7) and Cincinnati Bengals (9-8) all had winning records.

“Last season the AFC North became the first division ever to have all four teams finish with a winning record, making it the perfect place to launch this new approach to ‘Hard Knocks,’” NFL Films vice president and head of content Keith Cossrow said in June. “We thank the Bengals, Browns, Ravens and Steelers for the opportunity to showcase some of the greatest rivalries in football and present the intensity of a playoff chase from all four corners of this incredibly competitive division.”

For the first time ever, Hard Knocks is taking you behind-the-scenes of the playoff chase with the AFC North.

The HBO Original Series #HardKnocks In Season with the #AFCNorth, featuring the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, and Steelers premieres December 3 on Max. pic.twitter.com/Id3UA1Z4oY

— Max (@StreamOnMax) November 19, 2024

An NFL Films crew has been present at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side and had cameras at the Steelers-Browns game at Huntington Bank Field, which turned into a whiteout in the second half.

The Steelers (8-3) have no shortage of storylines.

Tomlin, who has never had a losing season, received a three-year contract extension last June. Their defense features one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers in outside linebacker T.J. Watt. They hired a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith and added a pair of quarterbacks with starting experience in 25-year-old Justin Fields, who started the first six games, and 35-year-old Russell Wilson, who has started the past five.

They have beaten the likes of the Atlanta Falcons (6-5), Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) and Washington Commanders (7-5) but lost to the Indianapolis Colts (5-7), Dallas Cowboys (4-7) and the Browns (3-8). After not playing an AFC North game until Nov. 17, the Steelers are amid a stretch of playing four consecutive division games. They beat Baltimore, 19-18, before losing to the Browns.

“I love this football team,” Wilson said. “This is the right guys, the right energy. This is the right response. We are disappointed, but we’re not discouraged. We’re not flinching in the midst of it. We’ll respond the right way.”

Now, the Steelers will be tested by how they handle their first division loss. They visit the Bengals on Sunday, then play the Browns Dec. 8 at Acrisure Stadium. The schedule doesn’t get any easier. The Steelers play at the Philadelphia Eagles, the Ravens in Week 16, host the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day and take on the Bengals in the season finale.

The Steelers will have to do so with the added pressure of cameras from HBO and NFL Films giving viewers glimpses of footage from the locker room and meetings to on the field during practices and on the sidelines during games as they navigate a path to the postseason.

“Listen, it’s ball. To me, I’ve lived a lot of ball in my lifetime,” Wilson said. “It’s not necessarily the division. It’s the moment. It’s our team that we have right here. I think the most important thing is for us to focus on each other. The great thing about us is we’re not going to change.

“We’re not going to change our thought process and how we work. We work as hard as anybody could possibly work in the National Football League. I think we do a great job of that. We’ve got great leadership. We’ve got great guys. We’ve got great competitors. And we don’t blink in the midst of moments. So I think this is a new, great story to tell. We’re looking forward to that.”