The Pittsburgh Steelers had plenty of momentum heading into Cincinnati in the midst of a three-game win streak. The Steelers’ offense continued to put up quality numbers, including the second four-touchdown passing performance from Aaron Rodgers this season. The same could not be said of the defense, which surrendered 470 total yards of offense. Despite their loss, the Steelers still have a game and a half lead in the AFC North through seven weeks of football.
Now, let’s take our weekly look at where
the Steelers fall in the latest NFL power rankings.
ESPN: No. 13 (No. 12 last week)
“Herbig isn’t a starter on the depth chart, but coach Mike Tomlin values his contributions so highly that he introduced the third-year pass rusher as the team’s 12th starter against the Browns. In five games this season, Herbig has an interception, two passes defensed, a forced fumble, 4.5 sacks and 13 quarterback hits. And now with Herbig and fellow pass rusher Alex Highsmith both healthy, the Steelers have the option to deploy their three-linebacker look with T.J. Watt.” – Brooke Pryor
CBS Sports No. 14 (No. 3 last week)
“Their loss to the Bengals at home shows their 4-1 start was a little fraudulent. They have too much age on defense.” – Pete Prisco
The Sporting News No. 10 (No. 8 last week)
“The Steelers need to clean up a few offensive issues with the running backs and tight end so that Aaron Rodgers to can move the ball efficiently. They also need get more defensive consistency when the pass rush is not clicking.” – Vinnie Iyer
USA Today: No. 12 (No. 11 last week)
“Just wait until you see Rodgers take on the Pack for the first time. No seriously, from a distance − or the upper deck of Acrisure Stadium − it’s going to look like he’s wearing a wrestling singlet.“ – Nate Davis
NFL.com No. 13 (No. 10 last week)
“It wasn’t stunning that the Steelers had some issues with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, two of the best receivers in the NFL. That said, the reason they went out and got Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay in the offseason, to go along with Joey Porter Jr., was to combat these types of weapons. Failing to do that and allowing a dormant Bengals run game to awaken is just wholly unacceptable. Aaron Rodgers and the offense did some positive things, as you might expect against Cincinnati, but the overall effort wasn’t prolific enough. The Steelers are a good team, reflected by their record, and they’re in the AFC North driver’s seat, but defensive showings and losses like this last one keep me from buying stock wholesale.“ – Eric Edholm
The Steelers were ranked pretty conservatively last week despite having an overall record of 4-1 at the time. It seems the national media expected the Steelers to stumble at some point. The Steelers will have a chance to fly up the power rankings this week as they take on the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football in an Aaron Rodgers revenge game.
