Thanks to a dominant 37-15 win over the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football, things are really starting to look up for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They have won two games in a row and are sitting at 5-2 on the season.
Not only did the offense look good with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson at the helm — the Steelers scored the most points since 2021 in the Ben Roethlisberger era — the defense was largely dominant, and the special teams continues to make splash plays, blocking a kick for the third straight week.
Everything is seemingly coming up Steelers at this point, and that includes the power rankings across the NFL landscape.
In The Athletic’s power rankings compiled by Josh Kendall, the Steelers moved up to No. 9 after sitting at No. 14 last week. The Steelers passed the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to get into the top 10.
“It looks like Mike Tomlin picked the right time to switch quarterbacks. Russell Wilson made his Steelers debut and posted a 109 passer rating, connecting with George Pickens five times for 111 yards, against the Jets,” Kendall writes. “The Steelers remain in first place in the AFC North, but they’ll be tested by the Commanders and Ravens in two of their next three games. Before that, though, they get the Giants and a bye week.”
Things are starting to heat up for the Steelers as they sit at 5-2, and seemingly found an answer for the passing game with Wilson under center. They have a nice matchup in Week 8, too, against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football before heading into a much-needed bye week
After the bye, though, the Steelers enter into the gauntlet of the schedule, where things will get tough. Important to stack wins now.
In CBS Sports’ power rankings from Pete Prisco, the Steelers moved up from No. 13 to No. 10, passing the Buccaneers, Falcons and San Francisco 49ers to hit the top 10.
“Russell Wilson did some good things after a slow start in the win over the Jets. That was an impressive victory to get the Steelers to 5-2,” Prisco writes for CBSSports.com.
It was an impressive victory for the Steelers, who played well in all three phases, forcing turnovers, blocking a field goal and getting great contributions from Wilson, Najee Harris and George Pickens.
The change to Wilson at quarterback went exactly the way the Steelers were hoping it would, leading to a historic outing from Wilson and the offense.
Not too shabby.
In ESPN’s power rankings, the Steelers moved up from No. 11 to No. 8. In the power rankings, ESPN’s Brooke Pryor highlighted rookie undrafted free agent cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. as a “young riser” for the Black and Gold.
“There’s plenty of options on a team as young as the Steelers, but it’s hard to choose anyone else other than the 24-year-old rookie undrafted free agent after his two interceptions against quarterback Aaron Rodgers,” Pryor writes. “Bishop had a bounce-back performance after getting picked apart by quarterback Dak Prescott two weeks earlier, and he did it in a big way, nearly returning his second career interception for a touchdown.
“The Steelers entered the season with no obvious heir to the slot corner spot, and it appeared the Steelers would have to get by with Cameron Sutton suspended the first eight games. Bishop, though, is showing why he earned first-team reps early in training camp.”
Bishop had a great game Sunday night, picking off Aaron Rodgers twice for the first interceptions of his career. The biggest one came late in the first half when Bishop made an unreal interception with one hand over the middle, setting up a Steelers touchdown that was ultimately the spark the team needed.
He’s had some bumps in the road so far in his NFL career, but Sunday night against the Jets was his best game yet, and showed he’s turned a corner. That is great news for a Steelers defense that continues to play at an exceptionally high level.
In Pro Football Talk’s power rankings, the Steelers improved to No. 9 overall, climbing two spots, while in Yahoo! Sports’ power rankings, the Steelers moved up to No. 10 after sitting at No. 12 last week.
“The underrated part of Sunday was how Russell Wilson, and the threat of him as a passer, energized the run game,” Yahoo! Sports’ Frank Schwab writes. “Pittsburgh rushed for 149 yards. Justin Fields is a very good runner but it’s probably harder to defend the offense with Wilson as long as he plays like he did against the Jets.”
The Steelers utilized Wilson’s right arm to throw the ball, which set up the run, rather than operating in the inverse. It worked to perfection as Wilson had the best output in franchise history for a QB making his team debut, and Harris rushed for 102 yards and a score in the win.
Wilson’s ability to hit throws down the field took defenders out of the box, which allowed the Steelers to run the football consistently in the second half.
Finally, in NFL.com’s power ranking from Eric Edholm, the Steelers landed at No. 9.
“Leave it to Mike Tomlin to make a move few could fully embrace at the time, but one that retrospectively looks smart. Russell Wilson certainly heard it early, when he was 2-for-8 passing for 19 yards, and the Steelers were scuttling on offense. Fans sounded angry,” Edholm writes. “But there was never a whiff of a Justin Fields cameo, whether as a change of pace or any other type of appearance. The Steelers are moving forward with Wilson, and what he did in a dominant showing over the final three quarters Sunday night was his closing argument after the shaky start.
“It didn’t hurt that Pittsburgh also received two interceptions from rookie Beanie Bishop Jr. and a strong special teams game, but the Steelers looked explosive and dangerous for the first time all season. If Wilson plays this well most weeks, they’ll win a lot of games.”
If the Steelers continue to play strong in all three phases and put it together like they did on Sunday night against the Jets, there is no doubt they’ll win a lot of games moving forward. They might even be able to make a run in the playoffs, too.
They’re making a run up the boards in the power rankings at least, for now. That’s progress.
