Steelers power rankings Week 18: Is Pittsburgh still a top-10 team?
By DJ Dunson
The penultimate week of the season means that the end of power ranking season draws nigh. These listicles are an inexact science, but they’re a measuring stick for teams in the highest tier. In the Pittsburgh Steelers, a new consensus has formed. Media talking heads like Colin Cowherd, have suppressed their takes on Pittsburgh during their precipitous drop, but they’ve exceeded expectations. A month and a half ago, the Steelers were the most overachieving team in the league pushing for a spot in the top five.
Since mid-November, the Eagles have soared, the Vikings have ravaged the rest of the NFC, and the Steelers have tumbled. Losses to the Browns, Eagles, Ravens, and Chiefs have cast a pall over the season. Back then, the Steelers were more highly regarded than the Minnesota Vikings and on the same plane as the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Vikings panned out as the biggest risers of the 2024 power rankings between Weeks 1 and 18, which stings because they also went with a resurgent veteran who was on his last strike as a starting quarterback and lost another quarterback in the preseason. Unlike Pittsburgh, they also possess a gifted receiving corps. Brian Flores also devised the most blitz-heavy scheme in the league. Those ingredients combined for near perfection. Unfortunately, the Steelers defense has petered out as they’ve struggled to bring enough heat on quarterbacks in big games. A losing streak has sunk them into 10th. Not a single prominent power ranking currently ranks them higher than tenth.
Yahoo Sports: 10th (Preseason: 20)
"The Steelers averaged 28.4 points in Russell Wilson’s first seven starts. That has dropped to 13.3 in his past three. The Steelers have had a tough stretch of defensive opponents lately. It’s still troubling how their offense has disappeared right before the playoffs. "
- Frank Schwab
Sports Illustrated: 8th (Preseason: 12)
"Though Wilson jump-started the Steelers' passing game when he took over the starting job in Week 7, he has been uncharacteristically turnover-prone (four since Week 15) and inefficient during Pittsburgh's three-game losing streak. Because the Steelers don't negotiate contracts during the season, the final two guaranteed games of the season will go a long way to dictating Wilson's future in Pittsburgh -- or elsewhere in the NFL. Wilson says he wants to play five to seven more years, but the Steelers aren't likely to make a long-term commitment to a 36-year-old quarterback. "
- Brooke Pryor
Pro Football Focus: 12th (Preseason: 13)
"The Pittsburgh Steelers have hit a rough patch, losing three consecutive games to playoff-bound opponents. Their schedule has toughened significantly over the second half of the season, and as a result, they’ve relinquished their hold on the AFC North lead, now trailing the Ravens by one game. With a final showdown against a desperate Bengals team looming in Week 18, the pressure is on for Pittsburgh to regain momentum. Despite the team's struggles, Cameron Heyward has been a standout, earning a league-best 90.2 grade among interior defenders."
- Thomas Valentine
USA Today: 12th (Preseason: 21)
The Sporting News: 10th (Preseason: 11)
"The Steelers have gotten sloppy with their passing game, and Russell Wilson isn't getting any help from the anemic rushing attack. The pass defense on the back end has sprung big leaks at the wrong time, too."
- Vinnie Iyer
Pro Football Talk: 11th (Preseason: 15)
"It could be another offseason of change, if they don’t win at least one playoff game."
- Mike Florio
Bleacher Report: 10th (Preseason: 14)
"The Steelers appear headed for status as a Wild Card team--and quite possibly for another one-and-done postseason appearance. Russell Wilson's limitations at quarterback are becoming more apparent by the week. The Steelers have dropped three straight to contenders. And the team's two best wins came by a combined three points. Could this team go on the road and upset the Houston Texans? Yes. But it's equally possible that Pittsburgh loses to the Bengals in Week 18 and backs into the playoffs as the sixth seed--which would mean facing the rival Ravens in Baltimore again. "
- Gary Davenport
The Ringer: 10th
"The Steelers have been a fun story this season, and head coach Mike Tomlin may have been my vote for Coach of the Year had the Vikings not put together such a phenomenal season under Kevin O’Connell. Still, this offense has been objectively bad other than in the Bengals game a few weeks ago, and veteran quarterback Russell Wilson doesn’t have an answer if the deep shots to George Pickens aren’t there. That isn’t Pittsburgh’s only problem, either. Defensive players seem to be publicly sniping at safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, and he’s been at fault for a good number of the completions given up in the middle of the field. If Tomlin is fighting off an implosion as his team fights for an AFC North title, I can’t imagine that the vibes in the building will meet those necessary to compete in the playoffs."
- Diante Lee
FOX Sports: 12th
"It felt for a minute like the Steelers had a higher ceiling, but with each passing week, this feels like the same team we’ve gotten used to seeing lose in the wild-card round. Maybe George Pickens can help to elevate the passing game, but I’m not optimistic. "
- David Helman
The Athletic: 11th
"Pittsburgh’s playoff potential is low. The Steelers have lost three straight and haven’t scored more than 17 points in any of those games. It’s time to start thinking about the future, and Russell Wilson’s comeback story looks stalled. He has had a negative EPA per dropback in each of his last four games. The 36-year-old and Justin Fields were both one-year experiments in Pittsburgh, which doesn’t have a quarterback under contract for the 2025 season."
- Josh Kendall
The Kansas City Chiefs remain the consensus favorite as the league’s No. 1 team, which is surprising. to nobody . They clinched home-field advantage already, and their only loss this season came in a thriller on the road in Buffalo. Meanwhile, the franchise that’s risen the most at Pittsburgh’s expense has been the Baltimore Ravens. Their once porous secondary has stiffened up and put a lid on its top by moving Kyle Hamilton back to a more traditional free safety role and benching Marcus Williams for 5-foot-8. Ar'Darius Washington.
The Steelers are struggling through their own DeflateGate. Pittsburgh’s cratering power rankings encapsulate how the Steelers are deflating quicker than any other playoff-bound team. By the time we get to the Wild Card, the sparks could trigger a complete implosion. Mike Tomlin’s coaching skills have been lauded or under fire for much of the season. There is no in-between.
Pittsburgh is in salvage mode as the clock winds down on their season. T.J. Watt’s Defensive Player of the Year lead has evaporated. Missed tackles have become endemic, and miscommunications in the secondary have become deleterious. So many, and perhaps too many, issues need to be cleaned up in so little time.
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