2019 NFL power rankings, Week 7: 49ers jump, Cowboys slump
55. . 2-4. Previous: . Pittsburgh Steelers. 22. team
Recap: A year ago on a Sunday night at Heinz Field (Week 13), Mike Tomlin’s club squandered a big halftime led to the Chargers and lost, 33-30. The Steelers would now visit Los Angeles looking to avoid a fifth loss in six games. Pittsburgh would have Devlin Hodges at quarterback in place of the healing Mason Rudolph. A backwards pass gone wrong by Philip Rivers was returned for a score by Devin Bush (who had a pair of takeaways) and two touchdowns by James Conner helped give Pittsburgh a 21-0 lead after two quarters. There were some anxious moments in the second half but cornerback Cam Sutton sealed the deal with a late interception of Rivers.
Next Week: The Black and Gold get time off and actually get one more extra day of preparation for a Monday night visit from the equally-struggling Miami Dolphins. The last time these proud franchises clashed was back in 2016 when Tomlin’s club lost at South Florida, 30-15. But the Steelers returned the favor that year in Pittsburgh, 30-12.
Playoff hopes: While the Ravens remain atop the AFC North, the 2-4 Browns and 0-6 Bengals continue to struggle. The Steelers have a long way to go to climb back into playoff contention and need to take advantage of three straight home games (Weeks 8-10). So will quarterback Mason Rudolph be back when the team returns to action?
52. . 2-4. Previous: . Jacksonville Jaguars. 21. team
Recap: Doug Marrone’s intriguing team returned home looking to erase the memory of last week’s seven-point loss at Carolina. But the Jaguars had a tall order in taking on the formidable New Orleans Saints, winners of three games in a row. And unfortunately for Jacksonville, a game effort against the NFC South leaders came up short. It was a rough afternoon for rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew and the offense as the young signal-caller hit on less than 50 percent of his throws (14-of-29) for 163 yards and one interception in the seven-point loss. All told, Marrone’s ground game was limited to 75 yards on 24 attempts and the Jaguars’ offense managed 226 total yards.
Next Week: The intriguing Jaguars head north to the Queen City for the first time since 2014 as they clash with the Cincinnati Bengals as this one-time divisional rivalry is renewed for only the eighth time since 2002. Two years ago, the Jaguars came up with a 23-7 home win but five seasons ago, the club lost in its last appearance at Cincinnati.
Playoff hopes: The AFC South continues to be a very intriguing division as no club has pulled away to date. And the fact that the Jaguars have proven to be more than a handful for every team they have played this season bodes well. We will learn a lot about this club in November when they have three straight games within the division.
Next: Nos. 20 and 19