Steelers surge in latest ESPN power rankings after impressive week 6 win
By Tommy Jaggi
The Pittsburgh Steelers had an impressive outing against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night. Here’s where they stand in ESPN’s latest NFL power rankings.
The Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Chargers on the west coast in week 6 – bringing their season win total to just two. However, it’s hard to take away what they did in their performance on Sunday Night Football.
Regardless of what the scoreboard said at the end of the game, Pittsburgh, for all intents and purposes, dominated the Chargers in week 6. The defense was on fire from the gate, and rookie linebacker, Devin Bush, shined with two takeaways and a defensive touchdown.
The Steelers allowed Philip Rivers to rally late in the game, but there was really never a doubt that Pittsburgh would secure the win.
After such an impressive showing, it is reasonable to think that the Steelers would rise in the latest NFL power rankings. According to ESPN, that’s precisely what happened. The panel of experts at ESPN – a group of more than 80 writers, editors, and TV personalities – re-casted their ballots after week 6 of the NFL season. As a result, the Pittsburgh Steelers ranked in as the 20th best team in the league.
This may not seem like something to ride home about, but if you recall, they were ranked just 26th in the NFL last week after falling to the Ravens in overtime. In fact, the Steelers have been ranked 25th or lower in each of the past three weeks.
Their highest ranking of the season (16th) came all the way back after their week one performance against the New England Patriots.
It’s nice to see that the Steelers are finally on the mend and trending in the right direction. However, Pittsburgh enters the buy week with disappointing news: Stephon Tuitt will miss the remainder of the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
Tuitt had been phenomenal to open the season, and was easily having the best year of his career. Fortunately, Pittsburgh has the week off to determine how to go about filling his shoes.
The Steelers get to host the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football – perhaps the worst team in the league – when they return from the buy. Let’s hope they can continue to build on this momentum as the season progresses.
Next. Steelers vs. Chargers: Did the Steelers save their season?. dark
It will be challenging to overcome the losses of players like Ben Roethlisberger and Stephon Tuitt, but the door is still open to make a push for the playoffs.