NFL power rankings: 2019 edition – Patriots finish on top, again

13. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-6-1)

2nd Place, AFC North

Season Review: One year after finishing 1-3, Mike Tomlin’s club stumbled out of the gates courtesy of a 1-2-1 start. The club would settle in and reel off six consecutive victories. But all was not well in the Steel City and the team’s numerous issues bubbled to the surface down the stretch (and now beyond). Veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger led the NFL with 5,129 through the air but was also picked off a league-high 16 times. James Conner did his best to fill the void left by the season-long absence of running back Le’Veon Bell. But the defense was shaky again and this was a team prone to turnovers (26).

2018 Turning Point: The team had to rally for a 20-16 win at Jacksonville in Week 11. And it was in that game that the once-balanced Steelers’ offense began to take on a one-dimensional quality. The result was four losses in the next five games and the team would miss the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

2019 Priorities: Who knows what the future holds for Brown and Bell? What’s evident is that this is an organization that has lost seemingly its way. And the current issues can hardly be blamed on any one individual. Priority one is for this team is take a hard look at itself and that means from top to bottom.

Next: No. 12