NFL Power Rankings, Week 4: Steelers continue to tumble down the rankings

The Pittsburgh Steelers were losers in Week 3 of the 2022 regular season, and the loss was not pretty. In fact, through three weeks it has made it extremely difficult to gauge where the Steelers rank among their NFL peers.

How far did the team fall after the Week 3 loss to the Cleveland Browns? Based on this week’s NFL Power Rankings, pretty far. Was the defensive performance enough to keep the team out of the bottom third of the league? Not after Thursday night...

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 3 of regular season action.

Let’s get to the rankings...

ESPN

1. Miami Dolphins
2. Buffalo Bills
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Kansas City Chiefs
5. Los Angeles Rams
6. Baltimore Ravens
7. Green Bay Packers
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9. Minnesota Vikings
10. Cincinnati Bengals
...
24. Pittsburgh Steelers

“The honeymoon period — if there ever was one — for Mitch Trubisky is over. Trubisky is averaging 5.5 yards per attempt, the worst of any quarterback who has played three full games this season. He hasn’t been aggressive enough in his downfield throws and the offense lacks rhythm. But it falls on more than just Trubisky, and many of the offensive issues are also rooted in the playcalling and the work-in-progress offensive line. There was at least one sign of life for an otherwise disappointing offensive start: Trubisky completed 9-of-13 for 109 yards, including a 36-yard toss to rookie George Pickens, in the first half of the Thursday loss to the Browns.”

CBS Sports

1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Miami Dolphins
3. Buffalo Bills
4. Green Bay Packers
5. Kansas City Chiefs
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7. Los Angeles Rams
8. Baltimore Ravens
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
10. Los Angeles Chargers
...
22. Pittsburgh Steelers

“It’s almost Kenny Pickett time, even if the Steelers aren’t ready to admit it. The offense isn’t good right now, but the defense let them down against Cleveland as well.”

Yahoo! Sports

1. Buffalo Bills
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Miami Dolphins
5. Green Bay Packers
6. Los Angeles Rams
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8. Baltimore Ravens
9. Minnesota Vikings
10. Jacksonville Jaguars
...
25. Pittsburgh Steelers

“Maybe the Steelers know that Kenny Pickett isn’t ready and starting him now would set him back. But it didn’t look that way in preseason. Other than that, I can’t think of a single reason to not start Pickett right now. Mitchell Trubisky isn’t the answer. What’s the point in waiting?”

NFL.com

1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Buffalo Bills
3. Miami Dolphins
4. Green Bay Packers
5. Kansas City Chiefs
6. Los Angeles Rams
7. Baltimore Ravens
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9. Minnesota Vikings
10. Cincinnati Bengals
...
26. Pittsburgh Steelers

“It’s not that Mitch Trubisky was bad on Thursday Night Football against the Browns. He really wasn’t. It’s just that the veteran’s ceiling is so low that it turns the Steelers’ offense into a sports car trying to win a race with a restrictor plate affixed to the engine. That’s a problem, because the Pittsburgh defense isn’t a difference-maker without T.J. Watt’s enormous presence. Trubisky’s ceiling and the torn pectoral that will keep Watt out for several more weeks is a bad combo that leaves a razor-thin margin for error every week for Mike Tomlin’s team.”

The Sporting News

1. Miami Dolphins
2. Buffalo Bills
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Green Bay Packers
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. Kansas City Chiefs
7. Los Angeles Rams
8. Baltimore Ravens
9. Denver Broncos
10. Minnesota Vikings
...
21. Pittsburgh Steelers

“The Steelers don’t have enough offensive juice with Mitchell Trubisky to compensate for their considerable defensive deficiencies without T.J. Watt. Matt Canada and Mike Tomlin will need to be creative and maybe make a big change to rookie Kenny Pickett.”

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 New York Jets in Week 4.