The Pittsburgh Steelers are a bad team. There’s no denying that. But the worst team in football? That’s a spot that feels like a stretch. Nonetheless, in a ranking that sums up the season, the Steelers were named the NFL’s worst team in The 33rd Team’s Week 10 power rankings.
Author Paul Domowitch had this to say about the Steelers, who he put on the very bottom of his list.
“Trading away WR Chase Claypool may benefit the Steelers in the long run, but it leaves rookie QB Kenny Pickett without his best pass-catching weapon in the short run. Then again, the Steelers already had the lowest-scoring offense in the league with Claypool.”
Calling Claypool the Steelers’ “best pass-catching weapon” is certainly a stretch. You could easily argue he’s the fourth-best option on his old team behind Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Pat Freiermuth. Still, there’s no denying the facts that Pittsburgh has a horrendous offense, on pace to have their worst per-game output since Terry Bradshaw’s rookie season. Sitting at 2-6 for only the third time since 1990, there seems to be little hope of the team turning their season around.
It’s quite possible that for the first time in the Internet era, the Steelers finished last on a power rankings list. A titan of consistency for the last two decades, this might be the first time in blogging history a writer is slotting Pittsburgh into that dead-last spot. Most other power rankings have the Steelers in the late 20s but this is the first to put them at #32. They rank right behind the Carolina Panthers while the 1-6-1 Houston Texans captured the 30th spot.
Should Pittsburgh fall to the New Orleans Saints this weekend, other outlets may begin to agree with Domowitch. Everything is working in the Steelers’ favor for a win this Sunday. At home, off a bye, with T.J. Watt returning against a Saints team travelling on a short week with several key injuries. Pittsburgh hasn’t started a season 2-7 since 1988 so a loss this weekend would be historically bad. And it’d be hard to argue with any future lists that put them in the basement, even if it’s slightly more debatable right now.
Leading his power rankings were the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles at #1 and the Kansas City Chiefs in second place. The Baltimore Ravens cracked the top five at #5 while the Saints came in at #26.
