The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't lived up to the hype of their new-look coaching staff and premium roster upgrades this offseason. It's been a rough start to the 2026 season, and it's evident in their recent power rankings placement heading into Week 5.
Courtesy of ESPN's new power rankings update, the Steelers
dropped three spots from last week's No. 17 ranking to No. 20 thanks to a complete team breakdown."Coach Mike McCarthy's phrase of choice -- "herky-jerky" -- is an apt description for the Steelers through four weeks," ESPN's Brooke Pryor wrote. "Neither the offense nor defense has established an identity. Even special teams has struggled, as kicker Chris Boswell is 7-of-10 on field goal attempts. QB Aaron Rodgers and the passing attack
have been inconsistent, and while the run game found a spark in Jaylen Warren, the playcalling has often put the ball in Rodgers' hands. He has 167 dropbacks; the Steelers have run the ball just 86 times. The league's highest-paid defense has allowed 24.7 points per game over the past three weeks."
Pryor hit the nail right on the head, as the Steelers looked rough on offense, defense, and even special teams in the Week 4 loss to the Browns. McCarthy's analysis of the "herky-jerky" state of the Steelers didn't give fans or ESPN a lot of confidence about the team's direction moving forward, hence the dreadful power ranking placement.
Still, the Steelers have no choice but to put these rough performances in the rearview mirror and solely focus on getting an important win over the 2-2 Indianapolis Colts in Week 5.
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This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers get troubling update in ESPN's latest power rankings
