clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

NFL Power Rankings: Steelers drop out of the top 10 with second consecutive loss

The Steelers lost a heart breaker to the Bengals in Week 8. It was their second straight loss, and was enough to push Pittsburgh out of the top 10 in the latest Power Rankings.

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

There was a time when the Power Rankings had the Pittsburgh Steelers as the best team which wasn't undefeated. It seems like years ago, considering the last two games the team has played have been consecutive losses for the first time since 2013. Nonetheless, the most recent loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field was enough to drop the Steelers out of the top 10 in the latest SB Nation Power Rankings.

The Steelers have dropped 3 spots in the latest rankings to the 13th spot, and with another big AFC matchup this weekend against the Oakland Raiders, the Steelers could certainly use a win to stop their slide.

See what SB Nation had to say about the Steelers most recent loss to AFC North rival Bengals:

Following close behind are the Bengals, who passed a big test by beating their division rival Steelers in their place in Ben Roethlisberger's return to action. Cincy's defense was the star in this game, picking off Big Ben three times while making the statement that they are the owners of the AFC North. The Bengals might be the deepest and most talented team in the NFL right now, not to mention the most balanced.

All that and the Steelers had every opportunity to win the game, but weren't able to take advantage of Cincinnati's mistakes, rather choosing to compound their mistakes with more of the same from the black and gold.

The Steelers are a team which is certainly capable of going on a hot streak. Ben Roethlisberger was visibly rusty last week, and with another week of preparation under his belt, the offense could resemble their Week 2 form against the 49ers, who put up 43 points, than the team which was only able to muster 10 points in Week 8.

See the SB Nation Top 10:

1. New England Patriots
2. Cincinnati Bengals
3. Denver Broncos
4. Carolina Panthers
5. Arizona Cardinals
6. Green Bay Packers
7. Minnesota Vikings
8. Atlanta Falcons
9. St. Louis Rams
10. Seattle Seahawks