Steelers knock on door of Super Bowl contention in Week 11 power rankings

Even with the easiest stretch of the Steelers' schedule coming in the first half of the season, I don't know if anyone could have seen this coming in 2024. Entering Week 11, Mike Tomlin's team has an impressive 7-2 record after emerging victorious against a seven-win Commanders team on the road.

Despite losing the turnover battle, fumbling the ball away at the goal line, and the officials missing a blatant holding call against T.J. Watt in the endzone that would have resulted in a safety, the Steelers came out on top in Week 10 with a 28-27 win.

Their win over the Commanders puts Pittsburgh on a four-game winning streak that began before the bye. During this stretch, they have outscored their opponents 123-73.

On November 12, Eric Edholm of NFL.com dropped his Week 11 power rankings. He had the Steelers jumping from 9th to the 7th-ranked team in the NFL after the win in Washington D.C. Edholm highlighted Pittsburgh's shortcomings and all the things that went wrong in this contest while noting they did enough to overcome a good Commanders team for the win.

With the victory, the Steelers leapfrog the Commanders and Green Bay Packers in NFL.com's power rankings. Now they knocking on the door of being legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

Steelers could catapult themselves in power rankings with an upset win vs. Ravens

Apart from maybe just the Detroit Lions, every NFL team has shown glaring weaknesses this year. The Chiefs somehow haven't lost a game despite a lack of weapons and an offense that can't put up points, while the Ravens have the league's worst pass defense halfway through the season.

The Steelers certainly aren't perfect, but their well-balanced roster and the efficient play of Russell Wilson gives them a shot to compete with any team in the league this year.

Pittsburgh already made a statement with their win in Week 10, but they could vault themselves in the NFL power rankings even further if they find a way to upset Lamar Jackson and an outstanding Ravens offense in Week 11.

Baltimore is averaging 31.8 points per game and Jackson is the frontrunner to win the MVP award (this would be his third MVP and second in two seasons). Meanwhile, wide receiver Zay Flowers has been incredibly hard for opposing defenses to maintain, while running back Derrick Henry is still a nightmare to slow down on the ground.

The Steelers have found plenty of success against Baltimore in the past, but this isn't yesterday's Ravens team. If Pittsburgh can contain Jackson and find a way to win this game convincingly, they will shoot up the power rankings -- possibly landing themselves in the top three.

It's thrilling to ride the wave of success, but the Steelers can't get caught up in where media outlets have them ranked among all NFL teams. Right now, the sole focus has to be on pulverizing the Ravens in Week 11 and taking a two-and-a-half-game lead in the AFC North.