Where Do The Steelers Stand In Week 15 Power Rankings?

Just like that the NFL season has reached Week 15. Time is flying by.

The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to stack wins and look like one of the best teams in the AFC, and possibly even the NFL. That’s rather remarkable to say, especially after how the Steelers have looked in recent years while transitioning from the Ben Roethlisberger era.

Thanks to a convincing 27-14 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 14 at Acrisure Stadium, the Steelers now sit at 10-3 and are rolling right along, winning a game against the Browns in tough AFC North play all while being without top offensive weapon in WR George Pickens.

Now, following the win, things get much harder for the Black and Gold. They enter a brutal stretch of three games in 11 days against the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens and then the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day.

Prior to that brutal stretch, where do the Steelers stand in the Week 15 power rankings?

Below is a chart of aggregate power rankings from several major outlets.

When it comes to AFC North play, the Steelers simply dominate. Their Sunday win over the Browns was another example of that as the Steelers roll right along within the division.

That win moved them up one spot in CBS Sports’ power rankings from Pete Prisco, jumping from No. 7 to No. 6.

“They keep on winning games and continue to be the team to beat in the AFC North. They face a tough one this week with the Eagles on the road for bragging rights in Pennsylvania,” Prisco writes regarding the Steelers in his power rankings. 

Things will be tough this week in Philadelphia, especially if Pickens can’t play. And after that they have a short week to turn around and get ready for the Ravens.

In The Athletic’s power rankings compiled by Josh Kendall, the Steelers remained at No. 7 despite winning this week. There were no other real changes this week ahead of them in the power rankings, outside of the Buffalo Bills falling from No. 3 to No. 5 and the Minnesota Vikings climbing from No. 5 to No. 3.

In Kendall’s Week 15 power-rankings piece, he highlighted the breakout players for each team. For the Steelers, that is tight end Darnell Washington.

“Washington is not the Pittsburgh player most thankful Arthur Smith is now the offensive coordinator, but he’s high on the list. The 6-foot-7, 264-pounder is mostly a sixth offensive lineman, but he already has more than doubled last season’s catch total and has 18 catches for 192 yards under the tight end-loving Smith this year,” Kendall writes. “Linebacker Payton Wilson, a risky third-round pick this year because of his injury history, gets a mention because he’s tied for fifth on the team with 55 tackles.”

With Arthur Smith as the team’s offensive coordinator, Washington has seen more usage in the passing game. As Kendall pointed out, he’s more than doubled his career receptions, sitting at 18 receptions for 192 yards and a touchdown on the season.

He’s been more involved in the passing game and has been able to show off his talents at his size more regularly, especially since quarterback Russell Wilson stepped into the starting lineup. Washington remains a good blocking tight end, too, and it’s been great to see him get more work in the passing game and reward the Steelers in the process.

In ESPN’s power rankings, the Steelers surprisingly dropped one spot to No. 6, marking the only place they fell in the power rankings entering Week 15. ESPN’s Brooke Pryor highlighted the most shocking ranking for the Steelers on the season in her power-rankings piece.

“With 32 sacks, the Steelers’ pass rush ranks near the middle of the pack — a surprise given the Steelers and T.J. Watt usually rank near the top. But don’t mistake this number for a lack of effectiveness,” Pryor writes. “After all, the Steelers lead the league with 28 takeaways. Prior to facing the Bengals, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin noted opponents are trying to neutralize Pittsburgh’s pass rush by running a lot of max protection and three-man routes. Austin didn’t sound too concerned about the lack of sacks.”

The number of sacks on the season is a bit of a concern, but teams have gotten smarter against the Steelers, running more max protection and three-man routes, chipping and sliding toward Watt, and primarily getting the ball out of the quarterback’s hands faster.

It’s how teams should have been playing them, but it took a few years for offenses to figure it out. Now, the sack numbers are down, but that doesn’t mean the defense is struggling. In fact, Pittsburgh is taking the football away at a remarkable clip with four games remaining, which is leading to great team success.

In NFL.com’s power rankings, the Steelers moved up one spot to No. 6 after the win over the Browns and continue to look like a legitimate Super Bowl contender in Eric Edholm’s eyes.

“I’ve been asked a lot on radio shows whether the Steelers are truly a Super Bowl contender, and my answer always seems to turn into a version of: Why the heck not? They have a championship-level defense and an offense that can get cooking at times. Throw in a mortal-lock kicker in Chris Boswell (36 of 39 on field-goal tries) and terrific special teams overall, and the formula is there,” Edholm writes. “T.J. Watt is often mentioned among the DPOY candidates for good reason, but where is Cameron Heyward on that list? At age 35, he’s playing some of the best football of his career. Russell Wilson also has had an age-defying season, turning 36 a few weeks ago but playing as well as he has the past few years.

“The pieces are all in place for the Steelers to make a run, but the Ravens aren’t going to just let them have the division without a fight, and the remaining schedule — including a Ravens rematch in Baltimore in Week 16 — is an absolute bear.”

The pieces are undoubtedly in place for the Steelers to be a legitimate contender and potentially make a Super Bowl run. They have the offense led by Russell Wilson with a strong run game and weapons on the outside that can make big plays. Defensively, guys like T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig can wreck games in the blink of an eye.

On special teams the Steelers are among the league’s best, thanks to Chris Boswell’s wizardry and a steady punting game with Corliss Waitman under Danny Smith.

Everything is there for the Steelers to make a deep run and potentially lift another Lombardi Trophy. That’s pretty darn exciting.