NFL Power Rankings: The Steelers experience a precipitous drop heading in Week 4

The Pittsburgh Steelers were not victorious in their second home game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3, and the loss to Cincinnati has dropped them well out of the Top 10, 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 Baltimore Ravens? How about the Green Bay Packers?

Time to take a look at the latest Power Rankings:

ESPN

1. Los Angeles Rams
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Buffalo Bills
4. Green Bay Packers
5. Las Vegas Raiders
6. Cleveland Browns
7. Baltimore Ravens
8. Arizona Cardinals
9. Los Angeles Chargers
10. Kansas City Chiefs
...
21. Pittsburgh Steelers

“Ben Roethlisberger’s performance through three games is only surprising if you ignore his age and the offensive line’s many red flags. The offense is undeniably bad, but that doesn’t fall entirely on Roethlisberger. Even with his limited mobility, he is still the best quarterback on the roster, with Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins being the others. Roethlisberger has been hit 22 times in three games, and some bad passes are the result of near-constant duress or miscommunications with receivers. But the biggest indictments of his slow start are the coverage sacks and the interceptions during the loss to the Bengals. Roethlisberger has to be smarter with the football if he is going to spur an offensive turnaround.”

NFL.com

1. Los Angeles Rams
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Buffalo Bills
5. Baltimore Ravens
6. Kansas City Chiefs
7. San Francisco 49ers
8. Cleveland Browns
9. Las Vegas Raiders
10. Los Angeles Chargers
...
20. Pittsburgh Steelers

“We learned just how much T.J. Watt means to the Steelers’ defense on Sunday. Pittsburgh entered its matchup against the Bengals with a sack in an NFL-record 75 straight regular season games. As Watt watched from the sideline with an injured groin, the Steelers’ streak was unceremoniously halted by a pedestrian Cincinnati line that had struggled to keep Joe Burrow upright a week before against the Bears. While the defense sputtered, the offense remained stuck in neutral. This was particularly apparent on an 18-play, 88-yard, nine-minute drive that ended with a field goal in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh was still down 24-10 after the Chris Boswell kick, with a chunk of the second half now lost for good. The Steelers have big problems on offense with no easy solutions.”

Sports Illustrated

1. Los Angeles Rams
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Buffalo Bills
4. Cleveland Browns
5. Green Bay Packers
6. Baltimore Ravens
7. San Francisco 49ers
8. Kansas City Chiefs
9. Arizona Cardinals
10. Las Vegas Raiders
...
21. Pittsburgh Steelers

“Pittsburgh still has plenty of solid players; even a few great ones. But the Steelers’ nature is polarizing—both in how they’re viewed in the NFL, and in how they have started this 2021 season. For example: big win over Buffalo spearheaded by the defense, close loss to improved Las Vegas squad, head-scratching defeat to Cincinnati in which Pittsburgh was thoroughly outplayed. I could still see Big Ben making one final run. But I expect football season in Steel City to look a lot like it has so far.”

CBS Sports

1. Los Angeles Rams
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Green Bay Packers
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. Buffalo Bills
6. Las Vegas Raiders
7. San Francisco 49ers
8. Cleveland Browns
9. Carolina Panthers
10. Denver Broncos
...
22. Pittsburgh Steelers

“This is a bad team right now. The offense doesn’t scare anybody. In fact, it’s a downright mess. How did they beat the Bills?”

The Sporting News

1. Los Angeles Rams
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Cleveland Browns
4. Arizona Cardinals
5. Buffalo Bills
6. Green Bay Packers
7. San Francisco 49ers
8. Baltimore Ravens
9. Los Angeles Chargers
10. Kansas City Chiefs
...
19. Pittsburgh Steelers

“The Steelers were fortunate to upset the Bills in Week 1. Their offense looked anemic against the Raiders and Bengals back-to-back at home, even with some flashes from rookie running back Najee Harris, because Ben Roethlisberger is playing quarterback like a broken clock tower.”

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: