It was hard not to have at least a little optimism about the Pittsburgh Steelers going into their game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Pittsburgh was fresh off defeating the red-hot Indianapolis Colts
and forcing six turnovers.
However, it all came to a screeching halt on Sunday night. The Steelers looked largely uninspiring on both sides of the ball to put it nicely, and they will have to figure out a way to bounce back quickly if they want to hold onto what is now a slim lead over Baltimore in the AFC North.
It’s time to take a look at this week’s NFL power rankings across the internet and see where the Steelers sit.
ESPN No. 16 (No. 12 last week)
“Though he missed a 45-yard field goal attempt Sunday night, Boswell has been the Steelers’ most reliable scoring option this season. He has made 17 of 20 attempts, going 7-of-7 from 50 yards or beyond. In the past three games, when the Steelers scored touchdowns on only half of their red zone trips, Boswell made 7 of 8 field goals. He nailed all four attempts — three of 50-plus yards — against Green Bay.” – Brooke Pryor
CBS Sports No. 17 (No. 17 last week)
“For a bit, the offense was good and the defense was awful. Now the defense is better and the offense did nothing against the Chargers. The Ravens are coming fast too.” – Pete Prisco
The Sporting News No. 14 (No. 10 last week)
“The Steelers came back down from their Colts high with not enough offense in Los Angeles, getting out-toughed by the Chargers. Los Angeles let Aaron Rodgers down by maintaining limited weapons.“ – Vinnie Iyer
USA Today No. 17 (No. 12 last week)
“Their divisional lead over Baltimore down to a game, the Steelers are now 1-3 this season when they don’t manage at least one takeaway.” – Nate Davis
NFL.com No. 14 (No. 13 last week)
“I spent most of the first half of the season praising the play of Aaron Rodgers and wondering what kind of year it might be in Pittsburgh if the defense were playing up to its typical standard. Then Rodgers and the offense significantly backslid against the Chargers, while the defense showed improvement. It’s awfully hard to fully buy in on this Steelers squad right now, even with its wins over two top-of-the-AFC teams (New England and Indianapolis). Sunday night was the first time where I felt Rodgers looked old and slow, at least relative to the past few years. He took a safety, threw a pair of picks and was sacked three times, struggling to get the ball into his playmakers’ hands with any regularity. The Ravens are coming. Can the Steelers stop the bleeding?” – Eric Edholm
In last week’s power rankings roundup, we saw the Steelers barely move up the rankings despite a win over a quality opponent. This week, they are getting punished for losing, and deservedly so.
As USA Today’s Nate Davis mentioned, the Steelers are 1-3 this season when they don’t force at least one turnover. While the defense has gotten much of the blame for the Steelers’ struggles this season, it was actually the offense that looked particularly bad on Sunday. Aaron Rodgers had easily his worst game as a Pittsburgh Steeler, tossing two interceptions.
It certainly seems that it will take several consecutive wins and signs of major improvements on both sides of the ball for the national media to respect the Steelers. They will have a chance to get back on track this weekend against the Cincinnati Bengals and avenge their Thursday night loss just a few weeks ago.
How concerned are you with the Steelers? How important is it for them to beat the Cincinnati Bengals at home on Sunday? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments down below.
