NFL Power Rankings, Week 6: Are Steelers the NFL’s worst team?

Another week, another precipitous drop for our beloved Pittsburgh Steelers. The normally consistent organization on the banks of the Three Rivers has turned into Black and Gold-clad nightmare fuel.

The Steelers are playing themselves into the basement of my Power Rankings this week, and there are a myriad of reasons why.

Whether you talk about an offense that can’t get out of it’s own way, or an overmatched Defense that can’t play it’s brand of football without the mighty T.J. Watt, you’re looking at potentially the worst Steelers team of the last 3 decades through 5 weeks.

At least the Steelers have a few bright spots to build off of. Kenny Pickett looks like he might be the real deal. George Pickens is quickly proving to be the team’s top receiver in year 1, and DeMarvin Leal is getting better every week.

Those things are all well and good, but they did next-to-nothing to help the Steelers maintain even a somewhat respectable ranking this week. No, the Steelers are pretty bad right now, and that is reflected in my Week 6 Power Rankings below. This week, I look at the biggest concern for each NFL club moving forward. There are some really intriguing teams I am keeping my eye on this season. Let’s dive into it!

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1. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Previous: 1

Biggest concern: Can the defense keep churning out impressive performances to match the offense’s consistency?

2. BUFFALO BILLS

Previous: 2

Biggest concern: Josh Allen takes a bunch of hits in game, many due to his own bruising rushing style on scrambles and keepers. He has to stay healthy for this Championship caliber Bills team.

3. GREEN BAY PACKERS

Previous: 3

Biggest concern: Is Aaron Rodgers capable of lifting this young WR room all season long?

4. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Previous: 4

Biggest concern: The defense can be taken advantage of when the opposing offense blocks Chris Jones and runs the ball with aggression, a la Josh Jacobs.

5. BALTIMORE RAVENS

Previous: 6

Biggest concern: The offense goes through stretches of ineptitude. It’s caught up with them a few times already this season. It’s likely to happen again.

6. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Previous: 7

Biggest concern: The offensive line has had some issues keeping 45-year-old Tom Brady clean.

7. MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Previous: 8

Biggest concern: The pass rush can flat out disappear for long stretches for the Vikings, allowing lesser opponents to hang around and forcing Kirk Cousins to have to consistently win one-score games.

8. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Previous: 9

Biggest concern: The passing game is too reliant on elite after the catch production from Deebo Samuel and company.

9. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

Previous: 10

Biggest concern: Can the run defense show up for once?

10. DALLAS COWBOYS

Previous: 12

Biggest concern: The offense is getting away with fairly poor play overall because the defense is playing at a ridiculously high level.

11. CINCINNATI BENGALS

Previous: 13

Biggest concern: Two words: offensive line

12. MIAMI DOLPHINS

Previous: 5

Biggest concern: Quarterback health is currently the biggest concern for the Dolphins. Getting Tua back soon would be big.

13. NEW YORK GIANTS

Previous: 15

Biggest concern: Can the passing game do enough to help the resurgent Saquon Barkley stay effective on the ground?

14. TENNESSEE TITANS

Previous: 16

Biggest concern: Similar to the Giants, can Tennessee’s relatively uninspiring cast of pass-catchers keep the team from getting to one-dimensional with Derrick Henry?

15. LOS ANGELES RAMS

Previous: 11

Biggest concern: Cooper Kupp is the Rams offense, and they need to find some other reliable contributors on that side of the ball soon, or they’ll keep losing.

16. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Previous: 21

Biggest concern: Can this QB room maintain it’s mistake-free play to assist a good defense and top-tier running attack?

17. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Previous: 14

Biggest concern: Trevor Lawrence’s inconsistency is starting to become a part of his identity, not just a funk he can pull out of.

18. NEW YORK JETS

Previous: 24

Biggest concern: Can this young team handle it’s newfound success in a professional manner and keep winning?

19. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Previous: 22

Biggest concern: Geno Smith isn’t really this good, is he? He has to come back to earth at some point, right?

20. ATLANTA FALCONS

Previous: 18

Biggest concern: The Falcons haven't been able to consistently close out games since 28-3.

21. CLEVELAND BROWNS

Previous: 19

Biggest concern: The defense has been a sieve so far and is desperate for a quick fix to help their surprisingly effective offense.

22. DENVER BRONCOS

Previous: 17

Biggest concern: Russell Wilson looks like a shell of himself in this Nathaniel Hackett offense.

23. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS

Previous: 26

Biggest concern: The talented Raiders better learn how to finish games. They are better than their record indicates.

24. ARIZONA CARDINALS

Previous: 20

Biggest concern: The offense has to figure out a way to start faster and keep the foot on the gas.

25. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Previous: 30

Biggest concern: Where’s the vaunted defense we thought could be a league-leader in August?

26. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Previous: 27

Biggest concern: The Matt Ryan-led offense just cannot find a way to click. They are beyond lucky to be 2-2-1 after 5 outings.

27. DETROIT LIONS

Previous: 23

Biggest concern: Despite the offense’s struggles against New England, it’s still the defense that allowed another big scoring day for a mediocre offense, at best.

28. CHICAGO BEARS

Previous: 28

Biggest concern: The passing game showed a little more pizzazz in Week 5, but it still isn’t a pro-quality attack even after 5 weeks.

29. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

Previous: 31

Biggest concern: The defense is not good and Carson Wentz is Carson Wentz.

30. PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Previous: 25

Biggest concern: Most fans will agree that Matt Canada has done nothing schematically to elevate the talent on this offense. Even with a far more decisive QB in Kenny Pickett running the show in Week 5, the play-calling was worse than Junior Varsity and players are not getting put in a position to play to their strengths.

The other concerns in Pittsburgh are also well-documented. Lack of depth in the pass rush is leaving the beat-up secondary out-to-dry. Najee Harris just doesn’t look quite right through 5 weeks. The Offensive Line can't run block to save their lives. Things could improve over the coming weeks, and the schedule definitely gets easier after the Bye in Week 9. This season isn’t over yet, but it could be sooner rather than later if the team doesn't show some drastic improvement, specifically in execution on offense, rapidly.

31. HOUSTON TEXANS

Previous: 32

Biggest concern: I think we’re finding out that the Davis Mills experiment is not going well.

32. CAROLINA PANTHERS

Previous: 29

Biggest concern: Hard to pick one. Head Coach Matt Rhule is out, Baker Mayfield is washed (that didn’t take long), the OL is a mess... Shall I continue?

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Who’s too high? Too low? What did I get right? Let me know about it in the comments section!