Pittsburgh begins the season with a road game against the Patriots. Here is where average power rankings have the Steelers slated entering week one.
Power rankings are hardly an indication of which teams are truly the best, but NFL fans everywhere are still anxious to see where their team ranks entering the 2019 season. After some examination, it’s clear that the Steelers aren’t exactly considered to be the ‘cream of the crop’ this year.
I comprised a list of updated power rankings from various NFL sites. In my findings, the Steelers have ranked anywhere between the 8th and 15th best team heading into week one against the New England Patriots:
| Website | Rank |
|---|---|
| NFL.com | 8th |
| NBC Sports | 12th |
| Sports Illustrated | 9th |
| CBS Sports | 9th |
| The Big lead | 12th |
| Lineups | 15th |
| The Lines | 8th |
NFL.com and The Lines were the highest on the Steelers – ranking them in the top 10 teams of the league. However, NBC Sports, Lineups, and The Big Lead have the Steelers slated closer to an average NFL team this season.
Pittsburgh’s average rank based on the above list is 10.4. While there are some teams who clearly seem better than the Steelers at this point, there are others that aren’t so cut and dry.
The Cleveland Browns were often ranked above the Steelers. Though they certainly have bolstered their roster heading into the 2019 season, it remains to be seen if they can live up to such lofty expectations.
Many of these writers cite the losses of Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell in explaining the reasoning of their rankings. But I wouldn’t read too deep into it.
Bell sat out the entire 2018 season, and James Conner was more than serviceable in his absence. He made the Pro Bowl last season despite missing the last three games with an injury.
Brown, on the other hand, still proved to be an excellent football player, but the headache of his antics was starting to outweigh the talent. The Steelers will undoubtedly have fewer distractions this year without him.
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh added talented defensive players to their arsenal in Devin Bush and Steven Nelson this offseason. On offense, Donte Moncrief joins the club, and James Washington seems poised for a much larger role this season.
Whatever the reasoning, don’t let early-season power rankings bring you down. The Steelers stand to be a competitive team in 2019. Don’t be surprised if these major media outlets are slotting them well inside the top 10 by the end of the season.