Steelers continue to plummet in updated NFL power rankings

ESPN recently released their updated power rankings heading into week 3. The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to fall down the list.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a disappointing start to the 2019 NFL season, to say the least. After getting demolished by the defending Super Bowl champions in Foxborough, Ben Roethlisberger was set to lead his team to a bounce-back win in week 2.

However, this wasn’t the case. Big Ben left the game late in the first half against the Seahawks, and second-year quarterback, Mason Rudolph was forced to step in.

As it is to be expected, the Steelers are not highly favored in ESPN’s most recent power rankings heading into week 3. Pittsburgh was considered a borderline top 10 team by most accounts prior to the start of the season. However, after two bad losses and their franchise quarterback going down for the year, analysts are no longer high on the Steelers.

The panel of experts at ESPN dropped the Steelers from the 16th ranked team after the blowout loss to the Patriots all the way down to the 21st ranked team in the NFL heading into week 3.

Here’s what Jeremy Fowler of ESPN had to say about the Steelers:

"Week 2 ranking: 16Pleasant surprise: Cornerback Steven Nelson. The defense has given up 61 points through the first two games, but that’s not because of Nelson, who wasn’t targeted in Week 1 and had two key pass breakups against Seattle. The team’s big free-agent signing on offense, Donte Moncrief, has failed miserably, but Nelson, who came from Kansas City on a three-year deal, has proved a nice addition to the Steelers’ secondary. — Jeremy Fowler"

Fowler didn’t have a lot of negative to say about the Steelers, but there is plenty of blame to be passed around (though Donte Moncrief probably deserves a lion’s share of it).

Being ranked just the 21st best team in the league is a punch in the gut compared to what we are used to with this franchise. Some of the teams ranked higher by ESPN include the Browns, Titans, Bills, and even the Detroit Lions.

Ben Roethlisberger’s injury no doubt played a factor in electing to drop the Steelers well into the bottom half of the league. However, not all hope is lost.

Mason Rudolph showed a tremendous amount of promise in his first NFL action, and it stands to reason that we could see similar performances from him in the future.

The Steelers have a massive uphill battle, and it starts with climbing out of this 0-2 hole they dug themselves in. But we have seen stranger things happen.

Pittsburgh may be just the 21st ranked team in the NFL right now, but a lot can change in just one week’s time. Let’s hope they boost their status quickly.