Steelers power rankings roundup: Pittsburgh backslides after awful Week 12 loss
By Tommy Jaggi
The Pittsburgh Steelers reached their peak in the power rankings in Week 12 after defeating the Washington Commanders and Baltimore Ravens in back-to-back weeks. Unfortunately, after finally gaining the trust of NFL media outlets and cracking the top five, Pittsburgh plummeted back down to earth in Week 13.
Following a gut-wrenching Thursday Night Football loss to the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers lost the respect of many in the national media who were just beginning to view them as legitimate contenders.
What's wild is that their three losses this year have come against the Browns, Cowboys, and Colts -- three teams that combine for a 12-22 record and a point differential of -211 on the season.
If Pittsburgh struggles against the Bengals and in their second contest against the Browns next week, they could be the biggest fallers on the power rankings. As of now, the Steelers are already backsliding after one rough game in Cleveland.
Steelers power rankings roundup entering Week 13
The NFL Nation staff at ESPN previously had the Steelers ranked fifth in their power rankings. While they remain one spot ahead of the Ravens, Pittsburgh was leapfrogged by the Packers and Vikings this week. ESPN calls the Steelers' offense a boom-or-bust group under quarterback Russell Wilson, and it's hard to argue with that.
Eric Edholm, NFL.com: 8th
Like ESPN, Eric Edholm of NFL.com also has Mike Tomlin's team slipping from 7th to 5th in the NFL power rankings this week. Edholm pointed to the Steelers walking into the ultimate trap game on Thursday Night Football. He also blamed Tomlin in the loss for his mishandled clock management.
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: 8th
Mike Florio likes to ride the wave of emotion that is the NFL. Last week at this time, he was a Steelers believer -- ranking Pittsburgh 4th overall in the power rankings. One week later, Florio dropped them to 8th because, in his words, the 'Steelers got out Steelered by the Browns'.
Nate Davis of USA Today isn't giving up on Pittsburgh just yet. Davis points to Pittsburgh's projected 21-year run without a losing record and Tomlin's consistency as to why they will be okay after a disheartening loss in Week 12.
Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: 8th
Frank Schwab of Yahoo! Sports has the Steelers falling three spots in the power rankings from 5th to 8th. Schwab pointed to difficult factors like playing on the road in a short week in blizzard conditions and mentioned how Pittsburgh still nearly pulled off the win. Schwab has the Vikings, Packers, and Ravens jumping ahead of the Steelers this week.
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