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The Pittsburgh Steelers were victorious in their season opener, on the road, against the Buffalo Bills, and the victory over Buffalo has catapulted them from a middle-of-the-road team to a Top 10 team, 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. For instance, one ranking has the Bills, who the Steelers defeated Sunday in Orchard Park, ahead of Pittsburgh.
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 Kansas City Chiefs? How about the Seattle Seahawks?
Time to take a look at the latest Power Rankings:
ESPN
1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. Los Angeles Rams
5. Buffalo Bills
6. Cleveland Browns
7. San Francisco 49ers
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
“The Steelers offensive line is still a work in progress, but Green had a pretty solid game in his NFL debut with a 100% pass block win rate — good for a six-way tie for best among centers. Green has a reputation of being a passionate player, bringing the physicality through the whistle. He delivered that Sunday, as Green aggressively finished blocks and continued to show the kind of edge the Steelers want to see on the line.”
9. New Orleans Saints
10. Baltimore Ravens
NFL.com
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. Kansas City Chiefs
3. Los Angeles Rams
4. Seattle Seahawks
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
“ All your summer Steelers takes are junk. Mike Tomlin’s team went up to Western New York and delivered a team performance that blasted away six months of narratives about the state of Pittsburgh professional football. Minkah Fitzpatrick and T.J. Watt spearheaded a stingy defense that eliminated the big-strike Bills attack that flummoxed the NFL a season ago, and Ben Roethlisberger and the offense found their footing in the second half with scores on four consecutive possessions. It was both a victory and a reminder: This Steelers team ain’t dead yet. Said Big Ben: “Guys understand what just happened.”
6. Buffalo Bills
7. Baltimore Ravens
8. Cleveland Browns
9. San Francisco 49ers
10. New Orleans Saints
CBS Sports
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. Kansas City Chiefs
3. San Francisco 49ers
4. Los Angeles Rams
5. Arizona Cardinals
6. New Orleans Saints
7. Pittsburgh Steelers
“Going on the road and beating the Bills was a heck of a day for the Steelers. The defense and special teams won that game, so the offense has to be better going forward.”
8. Seattle Seahawks
9. Buffalo Bills
10. Green Bay Packers
The Sporting News
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. Kansas City Chiefs
3. San Francisco 49ers
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
“The Steelers’ stamped out a much-needed opening gritty road win against a top AFC contender in Buffalo. With more questions raised about Ben Roethlsiberger, Najee Harris and the entire offense, the defense proved it can be downright dominant at times against the most daunting competition with T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick putting the unit on their backs.”
5. Cleveland Browns
6. Los Angeles Rams
7. Seattle Seahawks
8. Buffalo Bills
9. Arizona Cardinals
10a. New Orleans Saints
10b. Baltimore Ravens
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:
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