NFL Power Rankings: Steelers climbing the ladder heading into Week 6

19. Pittsburgh Steelers

Just when the national media was starting to write off the Pittsburgh Steelers as having any sort of chance this year, they handily take care of business against the Denver Broncos in Week 5. In this contest, Mike Tomlin’s team never trailed and Pittsburgh’s defense allowed just 6 points through three quarters and change.

However, we might want to pump the breaks a bit before we start labeling them as legitimate contenders again. While the Steelers are just one game back from .500, there are a lot of things we still need to see from this team.

Even after his best game of the season in which he averaged over 10 yards per pass attempt, Ben Roethlisberger still has just an 84.3 passer rating on the season and has graded out as the 31st-best quarterback in the league through five games in 2021.

Once Pittsburgh’s defense is truly healthy, this team will have a chance to rise in the power rankings, and the offensive line and running game seem to be headed in the right direction. Pittsburgh has already made huge strides from where they were following their three-game losing streak.