Pittsburgh Steelers

Steelers Power Rankings: Week 6

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Another fantastic showing from Pittsburgh in a 31-13 blowout of the New York Jets. It definitely seemed shaky at the start, but the Steelers pulled away and posted a shutout in the 2nd half. Let’s see which analysts are ready to boost them up, and which are still holding back after what happened in Philly.

Next: NFL.com

Oct 9, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) runs the ball past New York Jets linebacker Erin Henderson (58) during the first half of their game at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

NFL.com: No. 6

Last Week: No. 7

Okay. I can understand Harrison refusing to get too high on the Steelers just yet. The Steelers have been a weird team when it comes to playing bad teams. Harrison is right when he says that even Steelers fans know the team tends to drop games they should have won.

However, with blowouts against teams that many would consider formidable (surely Kansas City, we’ll have to check back later with New York), but the Steelers have won in convincing fashion, and are seemingly making up for the unfortunate play against the Eagles.

The fact of the matter is, the Steelers offense is scary. This is a team that is banged up, and is dealing with the suspension of Martavis Bryant, but seemingly can make anyone into a star. We’ve seen BJ Finney, Chris Hubbard step up on the offensive line, and we’ve seen Sammie Coates (despite his drops) and Jesse James really contribute in the passing game.

Just looking at the players on offense for the Steelers, I feel it’s hard not to be high on them. Great job by the guys that we don’t usually expect to play big do just that.

ESPN: No. 3

Last Week: No. 3

Now here’s an analyst that is high on the Steelers. In fact, after being trampled by Philadelphia, it didn’t take long for the Steelers to regain ESPN’s faith. This week, there is no improvement to the placement of the Steelers, but there doesn’t need to be.

The Steelers definitely gave a beating to the Jets, but it’s hard to really even know how good the Jets really are, sitting at 1-4 so far in the year. Plus, with Tom Brady‘s Patriots and an undefeated Vikings team, is there really an argument for the Steelers to be higher?

Sitting at 4-1, the Steelers are poised to have a good season. ESPN might think Pittsburgh is on their way to another 10 win season, but if they can play how they’ve been playing, it would not be surprising at all to see them inch even higher.

While it was really a bummer to drop a game to a rookie quarterback and an Eagles team that didn’t even crack into the playoffs last year, 4-1 (and currently #1 seed in the AFC, fun fact) is not a bad place to be, at all.

Fox Sports: No. 2

Last Week: No. 5

DaSilva sure is high on Pittsburgh, and that’s not necessarily wrong. He does point one extremely important note out that everyone should realize. Has no one noticed the impact of Le’Veon Bell on this offense?

It’s just not his stats. It’s not just what he does himself, but what he does for the whole offense. Since his return, Pittsburgh has suddenly become unstoppable. Yes, the offense was good before, but they have scored 74 points in two weeks. Bell has done his work, proving to be the running back we all know and love, but he has opened this offense to be absolutely explosive, and that should be terrifying to anyone who has to face this team.

Sammie Coates might be the best deep threat in the league right now. Yes, the man needs to learn to catch the ball on a more consistent basis, but Roethlisberger has displayed his trust for Coates, and trust from a veteran quarterback is earned, it’s not random. Coates currently leads the league in catches of 40 yards or more, and he could’ve easily scored 3-4 touchdowns against the Jets if he didn’t drop a few.

This offense is scary. When you have a team that can take hits, and still produce at an extremely high level, it makes them hard to beat. Every single player on this team contributes. It feels like every week, you hear about some new player that has stepped in and made a big play.

We’ve seen big plays from Coates, Heyward-Bey, Rogers, Hubbard, Finney, Dangerfield, Williams (both DeAngelo and Vince), Burns, and other players that you just wouldn’t expect to hear about.

On a side note, would love to see (though it’s not personally my opinion) a offense vs defensive Super Bowl showdown between the Vikings and Steelers.

Oct 9, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa (81) runs the ball against Pittsburgh Steelers safety Sean Davis (28) during the first half of their game at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Yahoo Sports: No. 6

Last Week: No. 6

I don’t get it. Yes, what did happen in Philadelphia? That is definitely a good question, but I don’t understand how Pittsburgh can’t manage to move up at all after trampling over two teams that are still considered pretty good, yet the Patriots jump to first on this list after beating the Browns? I know Brady’s back, but the Browns!?!?!

It’s not the placement that I don’t understand. It’s the fact that Pittsburgh just didn’t move. I could easily see the argument for why those teams are above them, but some of the ordering just seems off. I would think after Denver lost to Atlanta, that they might be below Pittsburgh, but maybe not.

I guess we’ll just wait and see next week. All I know is that if the Steelers manage to pull out a win in Week 7 versus New England, they’re moving up…

Oct 9, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) runs after a catch against Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ross Cockrell (31) during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 31-13. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Author’s Opinion: No. 3

Last Week: N/A

New Segment!

I thought it didn’t make much sense to give commentary on all these other analyst’s opinions without throwing in my own justification and ranking. I do my own full NFL Power Rankings every week, so this isn’t just a random number.

To me, Pittsburgh is the third best team in the NFL. I currently have the Patriots at No. 1 and the Vikings at No. 2. Denver is coming off a loss, Atlanta is flying, but not that high yet, and the Seahawks and Packers just haven’t really proven as much quite yet.

Yes, the Steelers did have a pretty ugly loss to Philadelphia, but one game should not define a team. This team has been unstoppable as of late, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. The addition of Le’Veon Bell, and I cannot express this enough, has been a huge difference maker for this football team.

This is an offense capable of scoring on every drive, and they have a plethora of playmakers to work with. The defense, as much ridicule as it receives, has improved, and in the last couple of weeks, creating more pressure on the quarterback and holding teams to minimal points.

If Pittsburgh can just stop losing to subpar teams and continue to surprise the better teams of the league, this is a team easily capable of making the playoffs and really making a Super Bowl run. Just got to stay healthy (or as healthy as possible) and stay consistent.

On a final note, I sure will miss the bumblebee uniforms.

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