The NFL season kicks off tomorrow with the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens in a high-octane matchup between two of the AFC’s best teams. That means it is time for every outlet to get its last power rankings of the preseason in before the projections start being based in reality.
Pro Football Focus is the latest outlet to release its power rankings, and it has the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 13. I’m not sure that I have seen a more favorable ranking yet, the Steelers typically being somewhere in the 16-20 range from most outlets.
“As long as the duo of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, who consistently rack up high pressure totals, are rushing the passer, good things will come for the Steelers,” PFF’s John Kosko wrote. “With Nick Herbig as a depth piece and interior defenders Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton pulverizing interior offensive linemen, the team’s ability to come after opposing quarterbacks is endless.”
The Steelers’ front seven on defense should once again be the engine that propels the entire team. There were improvements elsewhere on the roster, but the pass rush and run defense should be as good as it’s been over the last few years.
The additions of Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson injects some speed to the middle of the defense, too. That has been lacking for years now, other than a brief period last season when the team had Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb healthy.
With a top-six scoring defense in 2023, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Steelers make a leap into the top two or three defenses in the league this season. That will obviously keep them in a lot of games, similar to the formula of the last few seasons.
The offense might take time to jell but should also be improved over last year. For one, Matt Canada is gone, and Arthur Smith is now in charge of calling the plays. The Steelers also have veteran QB Russell Wilson and some new pieces on the offensive line. The line will probably be a little rough early in the season, especially with Spencer Anderson starting in place of the injured Isaac Seumalo. But Seumalo will return sooner rather than later, and 2024 first-round pick Troy Fautanu should be inserted as a starter before too long.
“Quarterback Russell Wilson won the starting job, and the team’s postseason chances hinge on him finding his form from his Seattle glory days,” Kosko wrote. “Overall, the Steelers should be improved on offense and have a strong defense, but will it be enough to help them compete in the tough AFC North division?”
PFF went against the grain a little bit with this ranking of the Steelers. There are multiple teams behind them on the list that have a higher projected win total. The Steelers’ is at just 7.9 wins, which would obviously have them well below the 13th ranking and out of the playoff picture by the end of the season. Kosko clearly thinks they will outperform the projection. The projections have felt a bit low in recent weeks after some poor preseason performances by the offense. But given what the Steelers accomplished in 2023 with a worse roster, it is reasonable to expect improvement despite a tougher schedule.
