NFL Power Rankings, Week 7: Steelers win over Bucs gives them a boost

The Pittsburgh Steelers were winners in Week 6 of the 2022 regular season, and the win was much needed. In fact, through six weeks of the regular season it has been extremely difficult to gauge where the Steelers rank among their NFL peers.

How far did the team climb after the Week 6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Based on this week’s NFL Power Rankings, not too far.

All in all, the Steelers’ rankings this week were all over the map. The truth might be somewhere in the middle, but it’s that time of the week where we take a look at other outlets’ rankings after Week 6 of regular season action.

Let’s get to the rankings...

ESPN

1. Buffalo Bills
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Minnesota Vikings
5. New York Giants
6. Dallas Cowboys
7. Baltimore Ravens
8. Los Angeles Chargers
9. New York Jets
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
...
25. Pittsburgh Steelers

“It’s not so much that we got it wrong, it’s that outside factors affected early impressions of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense. This looked like a championship-caliber unit in training camp, but the Week 1 injury to T.J. Watt coupled with injuries to the secondary exposed the Steelers’ lack of depth through the first five weeks of the season. But against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Steelers finally showed they can be a dominant defense with a patchwork secondary and pressure up the middle. The Steelers had two sacks, only their second multi-sack game since Watt’s injury. And, they held the Bucs to 2.9 yards per carry — the best performance of a much-maligned Steelers’ run defense.”

NFL.com

1. Buffalo Bills
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Minnesota Vikings
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Dallas Cowboys
7. New York Giants
8. Baltimore Ravens
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
10. Los Angeles Chargers
...
22. Pittsburgh Steelers

“Just when all hope appeared lost, Mitch Trubisky stepped out of the shadows to save the Pittsburgh Steelers. The veteran QB, who lost his starting job back in Week 4, replaced a concussed Kenny Pickett vs. Tampa Bay and led Pittsburgh on a scoring drive before icing the game with two huge third-and-long conversions to Chase Claypool and a designed run play that produced the clinching first down. Mike Tomlin’s undermanned defense also stepped up, putting continual pressure on Tom Brady with a four-man rush led by Cam Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi. The Bucs looked out of sync all game — no small feat, considering how many key players were unavailable for the Steelers.”

Yahoo! Sports

1. Buffalo Bills
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Dallas Cowboys
5. Minnesota Vikings
6. New York Giants
7. Los Angeles Chargers
8. Baltimore Ravens
9. San Francisco 49ers
10. Miami Dolphins
...
27. Pittsburgh Steelers

“Sunday was a cool moment for Mitchell Trubisky. He came on for injured Kenny Pickett and went 9-of-12 for 144 yards and a touchdown, closing out a 20-18 upset win over the Buccaneers. Maybe he just was unburdened from the pressure of being the starter and played a little looser. Either way, it had to be a good feeling after being benched earlier this season.”

CBS Sports

1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Buffalo Bills
3. Minnesota Vikings
4. Kansas City Chiefs
5. New York Giants
6. Dallas Cowboys
7. New York Jets
8. Tennessee Titans
9. Los Angeles Chargers
10. Cincinnati Bengals
...
26. Pittsburgh Steelers

“The defense showed well in limiting Tom Brady in their upset of the Bucs. That’s the Steelers way.”

The Sporting News

1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Buffalo Bills
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. New York Giants
5. Minnesota Vikings
6. Los Angeles Chargers
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8. San Francisco 49ers
9. Dallas Cowboys
10. Tennessee Titans
...
22. Pittsburgh Steelers

“The Steelers’ defense decided to wake up to thwart Tom Brady and hold up better against the running game. Unfortunately, just as their offense was starting to feel it more with rookie Kenny Pickett, he got concussed. They still have another big shot against another Florida team with a Sunday night trip to Miami in Week 7.”

Pro Football Network

Tier: Definitely Bad Teams

Pittsburgh Steelers

Even when all hope seems lost, the Pittsburgh Steelers find a way. Even when Ben Roethlisberger was hurt a few years back and Pittsburgh was dealing with Mason Rudolph and a guy named “Duck” at QB, they remained relevant.

Now, without their best defensive player, they found a way to hold Tampa Bay to just 18 points and avoid starting 1-5. Hopefully Kenny Pickett is okay because it is imperative to see exactly what they have in the rookie QB before 2023.

What do you think of these rankings? Should the Steelers be higher? Are they ranked too high? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below, and be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the team as they prepare for the Miami Dolphins in Week 7.