NFL Power Rankings, Week 8: Steelers hold steady after their bye week

The Pittsburgh Steelers were victorious for the second time at Heinz Field against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6, and after their Week 7 bye week they have remained steady, according to the latest Power Rankings.

These Power Rankings are something which should be taken with a grain of salt, but if nothing else they are good for some healthy debate.

Yes, Power Rankings can be an interesting exercise, and while we don’t put too much stock into these rankings it does give you a taste of how the experts at certain sites view the Steelers. Who do they have topping the rankings this week? The Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers? The Arizona Cardinals? How about the Green Bay Packers?

Time to take a look at the latest Power Rankings:

ESPN

1. Arizona Cardinals
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Los Angeles Rams
4. Green Bay Packers
5. Buffalo Bills
6. Dallas Cowboys
7. Cincinnati Bengals
8. Baltimore Ravens
9. Tennessee Titans
10. Los Angeles Chargers
...
15. Pittsburgh Steelers

“Prediction we missed: Matt Canada’s offense would transform the Steelers.

Heralded as an innovative mind in the college game with his misdirection and pre-snap movements, Canada was positioned to mold the offense in his image — while also taking input from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger even said he was doing extra studying during training camp to make sure he nailed all of Canada’s verbiage and concepts. But through six games, the flashes of signature Canada plays — jet sweeps, a robust vertical game and a flurry of pre-snap motion on the goal line — haven’t been regular occurrences. Instead of a complete transformation, Canada’s concepts have been sprinkled in and adapted to fit the quarterback’s preference and ability.”

NFL.com

1. Arizona Cardinals
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Buffalo Bills
4. Dallas Cowboys
5. Los Angeles Rams
6. Green Bay Packers
7. Cincinnati Bengals
8. Baltimore Ravens
9. Los Angeles Chargers
10. Tennessee Titans
...
17. Pittsburgh Steelers

“The Steelers reached their bye at 3-3 and look like the epitome of the 8-8 team (or 9-8 or 8-9 whatever) as we creep toward November. Rising above mediocrity will take Herculian performances from their best players: Ben Roethlisberger has to be better than a game manager, while T.J. Watt must continue to play like a Defensive Player Of The Year frontrunner. An X-factor is running back Najee Harris, who’s come on strong in recent weeks. The first-round rookie leads the team in receptions, is in the top 10 in the league in rushing attempts and has handled his blocking assignments. If Pittsburgh’s offensive line gives him more room to operate, he’ll leap into the Offensive Rookie Of The Year conversation.”

CBS Sports

1. Arizona Cardinals
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Los Angeles Rams
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. Dallas Cowboys
6. Buffalo Bills
7. Cincinnati Bengals
8. Tennessee Titans
9. Baltimore Ravens
10. Los Angeles Chargers
...
15. Pittsburgh Steelers

“They come off their bye week with a big division game against the Browns at Cleveland. The Steelers seemed to find something in winning two straight before the bye.”

Sports Illustrated

1 Arizona Cardinals
2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3 Los Angeles Rams
4 Green Bay Packers
5 Buffalo Bills
6 Baltimore Ravens
7 Dallas Cowboys
8 Cincinnati Bengals
9 Los Angeles Chargers
10. Kansas City Chiefs
...
17. Pittsburgh Steelers

“The Steelers are among a handful of teams that are capable of beating the best team in football each week, or losing to the worst team in football each week. While their loss to the Bengals can certainly be framed in a different light now, the bye week needs to produce more than a half-strength Ben Roethlisberger to change our overall outlook.”

The Sporting News

1. Arizona Cardinals
2. Los Angeles Rams
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Green Bay Packers
5. Dallas Cowboys
6. Tennessee Titans
7. Buffalo Bills
8. Cincinnati Bengals
9. Las Vegas Raiders
10. Baltimore Ravens
...
14. Pittsburgh Steelers

“The Steelers went into their bye in playoff position after pivoting their offense to center around rookie feature back Najee Harris, which will allow it to play better complementary football for the defense. They will hope that rest brings out a better Ben Roethlisberger for the second half.”

What do you think of these rankings? Think the Steelers are too high? Not high enough? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below, and be sure to check out one of our newest podcasts where we do some rankings of our own! Check out the “Steelers Power Half Hour” in the player below: