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The Pittsburgh Steelers are now 2-4 after Week 6 of the 2019 regular season, but how they got to this record has been a roller coaster ride. After a 33-3 drubbing by the defending champion New England Patriots, the Steelers followed it up with a close 28-26 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2 at Heinz Field. The loss was more than just another loss on the record, but the team lost Ben Roethlisberger in the process. With Mason Rudolph under center in Week 3, he was unable to lead the Steelers to victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, but did claim his first career win after beating the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football in Week 4.
How did they follow up that prime time win? With a gut-wrenching overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field in Week 5. In typical fashion, with their backs against the wall the Steelers gutted out a big win on Sunday Night Football over the Los Angeles Chargers before heading into their Week 7 bye week.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, it is that time of week where we check in on what other outlets are saying about the black-and-gold in those weekly Power Ranking articles. We all realize these rankings are completely meaningless, but they are great for discussion. Not just where the Steelers are ranked, but who made the Top 5 who should have, or shouldn’t have?
Check out the Power Rankings below, and be sure to let us know your thoughts on the rankings in the comment section below!
ESPN
1. New England Patriots
2. New Orleans Saints
3. San Francisco 49ers
4. Seattle Seahawks
5. Green Bay Packers
6. Kansas City Chiefs
7. Houston Texans
8. Buffalo Bills
9. Baltimore Ravens
10. Minnesota Vikings
...
20. Pittsburgh Steelers
“Biggest weakness: Passing game
It’s crazy to say that a team with JuJu Smith-Schuster is struggling in the passing game, but that’s been the case, as the Steelers rank 28th in passing yards per game. With the extra attention Smith-Schuster is receiving as a WR1, the Steelers desperately need a solid second option to draw attention away from him or capitalize on open opportunities. Smith-Schuster is coming off a game in which he had just one catch for 7 yards and was targeted four times -- the lowest regular-season output of his career when he has been targeted. The carousel of quarterbacks isn’t helping, as Devlin Hodges is already starter No. 3. -- Brooke Pryor”
Sporting News
1. New England Patriots
2. San Francisco 49ers
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Seattle Seahawks
5. Green Bay Packers
6. Minnesota Vikings
7. Kansas City Chiefs
8. Baltimore Ravens
9. Carolina Panthers
10. Houston Texans
...
19. Pittsburgh Steelers
“The Steelers got a bonus home game in Los Angeles on Sunday night and took full advantage of it, hiding undrafted rookie QB Devlin Hodges with a heavy, effective dose of James Conner’s running and their swarming defensive front. They still have a big hill to climb to reach the wild-card conversation, but a bye will help get them rest and healthier.”
CBS Sports
1. New England Patriots
2. San Francisco 49ers
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Seattle Seahawks
5. Green Bay Packers
6. Buffalo Bills
7. Baltimore Ravens
8. Carolina Panthers
9. Oakland Raiders
10. Minnesota Vikings
...
19. Pittsburgh Steelers
“Can defense and a running game turn their season around? It looked that way against the Chargers. They are far from dead after their bad start.”
Sports Illustrated
1. New England Patriots
2. San Francisco 49ers
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Green Bay Packers
5. Seattle Seahawks
6. Kansas City Chiefs
7. Houston Texans
8. Minnesota Vikings
9. Baltimore Ravens
10. Indianapolis Colts
...
21. Pittsburgh Steelers
“The Steelers youth movement (yes, youth movement) did enough as Devlin Hodges turned in a clean performance (15-of-20, 200 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) and the defense, led by Devin Bush, held off the Chargers for a solid, much-needed road win.”