The Steelers are no longer the top-ranked team in the league. Here’s why they dropped in NFL.com’s latest power rankings.
Through the first twelve weeks of the 2020 season, the Steelers remained the only unbeaten team. But as the saying goes, ‘all good things must come to an end’. Unfortunately, this win streak came to an end against the then 4-7 Washington Football Team. As you can imagine, this loss didn’t sit very well with the national media.
Prior to their Week 13 loss, Pittsburgh boasted the number two spot in NFL.com’s power rankings dating back to Week 7, according to Dan Hanzus. That all changed though after Mike Tomlin’s team was embarrassed on their home turf against Washington. The Steelers drop one spot to 3rd in the NFL, as they have been leapfrogged by the New Orleans Saints.
While the game itself wasn’t necessarily a blowout, the play by Pittsburgh was pathetic throughout – primarily on the offensive side of the ball. As was the case against a decimated Ravens team the week prior, Steelers receivers were dropping balls left and right. The running game was even worse, as our running backs managed just 21 yards on 14 attempts (1.5 yards per carry). Benny Snell, who was supposed to be the workhorse back with James Conner out, earned 8 carries for a dismal 5 yards.
Steelers drop in rankings is justified
Even hardcore homers right now must know that the drop in the Steelers ranking is justified. If this would have been one fluke game, then maybe Tomlin’s team retains their spot at number 2 heading into Week 14. However, this type of lackluster play on offense is becoming a trend.
The Steelers really struggled against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12 without their star quarterback in addition to missing nearly one-third of their original roster. Mike Tomlin’s team barely held onto a five-point lead by the end of the game, and it was a bit embarrassing that the offense only managed 12 offensive points (Joe Haden had an interception for a touchdown in this contest).
Now, getting ready for Buffalo, the Steelers enter the game as underdogs. But this isn’t too surprising. While the Bills have been on a hot streak recently, the Steelers have played some of their worst football of the 2020 season in recent weeks. The step-up in competition from a decimated Ravens team and Washington should be noticeable when playing the Bills. The one bright spot is that Buffalo does not possess a good defense like everyone thought they would, and they have been vulnerable against the pass this year.
Overall, the Steelers deserve to drop in the rankings, and to be honest, they could fall much further if their offense doesn’t start to shape up soon. However, if they are able to make some changes soon, this team is still capable of winning a Super Bowl.
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