Thanks to a thrilling win on Monday Night Football over the AFC North rival Cleveland Browns on the back of a dominant defensive performance, the Pittsburgh Steelers climbed two spots in the latest NFL.com Power Rankings Tuesday morning.
Pittsburgh moved from No. 19 to No. 17 in Eric Edholm’s latest Power Rankings, jumping the likes of the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings.
“Pittsburgh’s defense just rescued the team from an 0-2 start at home. But watching the passing game just labor for such long stretches, it makes you wonder why the timing is so off. Is it all on Kenny Pickett? Not sure, but he clearly misfired on passes where there were plays to be made,” Edholm writes for NFL.com and Pittsburgh ranking. “The touchdown to George Pickens is why I can’t completely quit Pickett. He’s tough and competitive, and I’m not sure how he stayed in the game after the hit he took on that throw. Yet, it’s still not good enough. The Steelers are going to have to find a way to showcase Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris a bit more. And while we’re at it, is Pat Freiermuth still on the roster?”
The defense certainly saved Pittsburgh from an 0-2 start in Week Two. Alex Highsmith had a pick-six on the first play from scrimmage and later had a strip-sack on Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson that T.J. Watt returned 16 yards for the game-winning touchdown. Pittsburgh had four total takeways on the night thanks to Larry Ogunjobi and Damontae Kazee fumble recoveries.
Pittsburgh’s defense carried the load once again, much like it has in recent years.
It wasn’t just the turnovers, either. Pittsburgh’s offense generated minus-seven yards of offense in the fourth quarter, yet the Steelers turned a three-point deficit into a four-point win.
It wasn’t just the fourth quarter either where the offense was a mess. Pittsburgh really struggled to get anything going on the night through the air and on the ground, generating just 255 yards of total offense and possessing the ball for just 24 minutes and 32 seconds. The fact that the defense was on the field that long on Monday night and was that dominant is rather impressive.
But the offense needs to figure things out.
Outside of a 71-yard touchdown from Kenny Pickett to George Pickens and a 30-yard dump off to Jaylen Warren on a miscommunication by the Browns defense, Pittsburgh really didn’t do much of anything in the passing game. Add in just 55 rushing yards on the night thanks to runs of 21 and 17 yards by Najee Harris, and the Steelers offense was dreadful.
Seven plays Monday night accounted for 202 yards of offense from the Steelers. The problem is, the Steelers had another 46 plays that netted just 53 yards. The Steelers defense won the day overall, without a doubt.
If the offense figures things out and finds some consistency, this team should rise up the power rankings. Landing at No. 17 is a good spot for this team though. They Steelers are average despite an elite-level defense.
