The Pittsburgh Steelers continued continued to take care of business with a win over the Cleveland Browns by a score of 23-9. For the second straight week, all other teams in the AFC North lost, giving the Steelers a healthy early lead in the division. Pittsburgh’s defense has fully hit its stride, as Nick Herbig and Jalen Ramsey stole the show with two sacks each. The Steelers are on the up, and have several tough games against Green Bay, Indianapolis, and the Los Angeles Chargers after their Thursday
night date with the Bengals.
It’s time to take a look at where the Steelers fall in the latest power rankings.
ESPN No. 12 (No.13 last week)
“The Steelers lead the league in average yards after catch per reception (7.3) but are last in air yards per target (5.3). That means they’re not relying on their 41-year-old quarterback to heave it down the field for splash plays. Instead, the recipe of getting the ball out of his hands quickly and into the arms of his playmakers is working for a Steelers offense averaging a respectable 23.8 points. Aaron Rodgers’ 49.0 total QBR ranks 22nd in the league, but he’s completing 68.8% of his attempts (12th best).“ – Brooke Pryor
CBS Sports No. 3 (No. 5 last week)
“At 4-1, they have a nice hold of the AFC North with the other teams struggling. Aaron Rodgers is playing good football with 10 touchdown passes and three picks.” – Pete Prisco
The Sporting News No. 8 (No. 7 last week)
“The Steelers have put together their pass rush again with T.J. Watt and the blitz leading the way, flexing typical defense against the Vikings and Browns in big back-to-back wins. That has made Aaron Rodgers’ job is so much easier.” – Vinnie Iyer
USA Today No. 12 (No. 13 last week)
“You’ve got to love Mike Tomlin going fully petty mode and atypically blistering an opponent − namely Cleveland’s trade of QB Joe Flacco to the Bengals, which costs Pittsburgh a Jake Browning matchup on a short week. Shouldn’t matter given the Steelers are right at home next to Cincy’s one river, where they’ve won 10 of their past 12.” – Nate Davis
NFL.com No. 10 (No. 15 last week)
“Over the past three weeks, the AFC North has shifted almost completely into the Steelers’ hands. They’ve won their only two games in that span, while the Ravens, Bengals and Browns went a combined 0-9. The Week 5 bye helped get Pittsburgh’s defense in even better shape, and it showed Sunday against Cleveland. The Steelers battered Dillon Gabriel for six sacks and 16 QB hits and kept the Browns out of the end zone. The offense stalled for field goals three times in the first half, but Aaron Rodgers delivered another solid game, with two second-half TD drives. He also was barely touched, which is great news. I don’t know if this is a great team yet, but Pittsburgh is playing like a very good one, at the very least.” – Eric Edholm
While CBS has the Steelers inside the top five, the rest of the media seems to be ranking the Steelers more modestly. With another divisional game on the slate for the Steelers this week, they will have a chance to continue to climb the power rankings and establish themselves as true contenders in the AFC.
