The Pittsburgh Steelers needed overtime to complete a comeback victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road. Timely fourth-quarter interceptions by Jamel Dean and Daylen Everette helped the Steelers take the lead late, while Germie Bernard scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
As always, let’s have a look around the internet to see where other media outlets have the Steelers ranked among the rest of the NFL in this week’s power rankings roundup.
FOX Sports: No.15 (No. 17 Last Week)
“I feel like I say this every week,
but this is the most confusing team in the league for me. The Steelers look great, then they look terrible, and sometimes — like in their 26-19 overtime in Tampa on Sunday against the Baker Mayfield-less Bucs — they alternate between great and terrible within the same game. They were terrible for three quarters and trailed 16-3. But their defense kept them in it. Then Aaron Rodgers woke up a little. Then he went off in overtime (6 for 7, 51 yards and a TD). I don’t know. They’re 4-2, but the roller coaster is making me a little nauseous.” – Ralph Vacchiano
The Athletic: No.16 (Last Week No.16)
“The people who bet on Dowdle this season are not happy. The veteran running back was taken off the board 73rd on average, but he’s 215th in scoring (6.1) after Jaylen Warren has taken firm hold of the top spot in Pittsburgh. Warren is 42nd in fantasy scoring (17.1), the highest spot for any Steeler.” – Chad Graff and Josh Kendall
CBS Sports: No.17 (Last Week No. 13)
“At 4-2, they are tied atop the AFC North. But do we really know how good or bad they are? The defense showed up against the Bucs.” – Pete Prisco
Pro Football Talk: No.13 (Last Week No. 12)
“Time to get Le Torchon Terrible ready.” – Mike Florio
NFL.com: No.17 (Last Week No.22)
“It took them nearly all afternoon, but the Steelers finally did it: They found enough offensive production to win a game in an even-numbered week. An unrelenting fourth-quarter comeback effort saw Pittsburgh steadily chip away at Tampa Bay’s lead, taking its own lead late in regulation before asserting dominance in overtime with a 12-play, 70-yard touchdown drive that ended in a Germie Bernard touchdown catch from 6 yards out. The triumphant finish followed a frustrating first three quarters that were all too familiar to Steelers fans, but their ability to break free from their struggles suggests they might have finally unlocked what seemed buried in prior weeks — or at the very least, finally learned how to adjust in game enough to produce late-stage progress. Aaron Rodgers’ reliance on the quick passing game sparked the offense, and Bernard turned in his best rookie performance yet in a Pittsburgh win without significant output from Jaylen Warren. Perhaps these Steelers have some versatility after all.” – Nick Shook
Yahoo! Sports: No.16 (Last Week No. 17)
“Are the Steelers doing it again? Nothing about them is impressive … except their record. That’s a recurring theme for the Steelers in recent seasons. Pittsburgh trailed 16-3 through three quarters on Sunday and came all the way back to win in overtime. They won despite not having a play longer than 19 yards. They averaged 3.9 yards per play.”
“Aaron Rodgers’ performance summed up the day, and the Steelers’ start as well. Against Tampa Bay, he had a negative EPA per play and a very low 3.91-yard average depth of target, according to Sumer Sports. Somehow the Steelers got the win. And they’re two games over .500 with Rodgers being below average across the board in his age-42 season.” – Frank Schwab
USA Today: No.18 (Last Week No.17)
“He’s only had the benefit of two starts, but WR Germie Bernard already ranks second among all rookies with 24 receptions (17 in those two starts, including 11 in Sunday’s win at Tampa.)” – Nate Davis
ESPN: No.17 (Last Week No. 20)
“The Steelers’ offensive consistency issues center on third-down inefficiency. They’ve converted only 33% of their attempts, fifth worst in the league. The passing game has struggled against man coverage on third down, and coach Mike McCarthy has acknowledged it, saying he “definitely wants to get the ball ran more.” Even in Sunday’s overtime win over the Bucs, the Steelers went 5-of-15 on third down, including a failed third-and-goal pass to DK Metcalf from the 1 late in the fourth quarter that helped give Tampa Bay enough time to force overtime.” – Cameron Wolfe
While I was a bit shocked to see the Steelers fall in a few outlets’ rankings, I suppose it makes sense given the way the Steelers won. Pittsburgh looked lifeless on offense for three quarters before they picked things up with the help of turnovers. The Steelers have obvious problems on both sides of the ball, but keep finding ways to win games. Pittsburgh is the early favorite in Week 7, as they travel to Paris to take on the New Orleans Saints.
Let us know what you think in the comments. Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more!
- Steelers Week 6 grades in win over Buccaneers
- Week 7 odds: Steelers open as slight favorites vs. Saints
- Steelers signing WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
- Aaron Rodgers, Jalen Ramsey reach personal milestones in Steelers win over Buccaneers
- Steelers’ Mike McCarthy defends play-calling after Jamel Dean interception
