Steelers nosedive in NFL power rankings after another dismal performance

The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t been giving NFL experts much reason to believe in them this year. Here’s why they are plummeting in NFL power rankings.

After going on a four-game winning streak earlier in the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers have arguably been among the worst teams in the NFL during the month of November this year. Though Mike Tomlin’s team narrowly escaped with a win over the Bears on November 8th, the Steelers followed up this performance with a tie at home against the Lions and back-to-back losses in which they surrendered 41 points each.

Pittsburgh’s most recent loss was the most embarrassing that I can recall in quite some time. As the Steelers looked to avoid being swept by the Bengals for the first time since 2009, Tomlin’s team was trounced in a 41-10 blowout that included a garbage touchdown late in the game for Ben Roethlisberger.

When it came time for NFL analysts to comprise their Week 13 power rankings, it was no surprise to see the Steelers nosedive once again. After another dismal performance, the Steelers rank between 19th-23rd on four major networks in updated NFL power rankings:

Steelers Week 13 NFL power rankings:

• ESPN: 19th
• NFL Network: 21st
• FanSided: 23rd
• Sports Illustrated: 23rd

Some of these analysts had the Steelers cracking the top 10 at one point or another this season, but the tables have turned. In fact, Pittsburgh is a bottom-10 team in terms of their DVOA.

Team statistics would suggest the same. According to Team Rankings, the Steelers are 22nd in points per game (20.4), 22nd in yards per game (325.5), and 27th in yards per play (5.0). Defensively, they’ve been just as bad — surrendering 367.5 yards per game (25th) and 24.3 points per contest (23rd).

Can Steelers turn things around?

If the Steelers haven’t made the necessary changes by now, it’s getting hard to believe that they are still coming in 2021. In addition to a team that continues to struggle, Pittsburgh is also hampered by some key losses this year.

T.J. Watt has been incredibly banged up, and the star pass rusher recently landed on the COVID list. Likewise, the team has been without key players like Minkah Fitzpatrick, Joe Haden, and Ben Roethlisberger at times this year. It’s also clear that losing Tyson Alualu, Stephon Tuitt, and JuJu Smith-Schuster have been bigger losses than most anticipated.

With arguably the toughest schedule in the NFL ahead of them to close out the year, hope is dwindling for this team that once had strong playoff aspirations. This isn’t to say that the Steelers can’t get back on a winning streak and skyrocket up NFL power rankings, but hope is fading fast.

If Pittsburgh can get back to full stretch soon and tighten up the ropes on both sides of the ball, they could have a chance to sneak into the playoffs. However, a loss against the Baltimore Ravens this week would likely mean the Steelers have to win out in order to have a chance at the playoffs. It’s been a bumpy ride this year, and unfortunately, things aren’t looking much better at the moment.