For much of the 2024 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were right there among the league’s best teams, viewed as legitimate Super Bowl contenders, especially as they stacked wins following the Week 7 insertion of Russell Wilson into the starting lineup.
Things looked very good for Pittsburgh. But now? Well, the Steelers are on a slide, and it has many concerned. Pittsburgh has lost two straight in rather ugly fashion and has dropped three of its last five games. Injuries have taken a toll, though it does appear that the Steelers are getting healthy entering their Christmas Day matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, which is good news.
But the last two weeks and the showings against the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens in which the star-studded defense was outmatched and outclassed is concerning. It has the Steelers dropping in the latest power rankings across the NFL media landscape, too.
Below are aggregated power rankings from several major outlets.
| Outlet | Rank | +/- |
| CBS Sports/Prisco | 9 | -2 |
| ESPN | 8 | -1 |
| NFL.com/Edholm | 8 | 0 |
| Pro Football Talk/Florio | 9 | -1 |
| The Athletic | 9 | -2 |
| Average Rank | 8.6 | -1.2 |
Following a 34-17 loss to the Ravens on Saturday in Week 16 that dropped the Steelers into a tie atop the AFC North, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco dropped the Steelers two spots in his latest power rankings.
The Steelers fell behind the Ravens and the Washington Commanders in Prisco’s latest power rankings, and the two losses in a row has Prisco worried about the Steelers’ chances moving forward.
“Two consecutive losses have set this team’s hopes back some in terms of trying to win the division. And here come the Chiefs on Christmas Day,” Prisco writes of the Steelers in his power rankings. “They can’t afford another loss.”
The Steelers can’t afford another loss right now. They need to keep pace with the Ravens and win out to try and claim the AFC North crown. A loss would really put them behind the 8-ball and would probably ensure the Steelers will be playing on the road in the first round of the playoffs, something that seemed unimaginable a few weeks ago.
That’s how quickly things can change in the NFL.
In ESPN’s power rankings, the Steelers fell to No. 8 after the loss to the Ravens, dropping one spot. Within ESPN’s power rankings, NFL Nation reporters named the team’s Rookie of the Year, and unsurprisingly for Steelers beat writer Brooke Pryor, Pittsburgh’s ROY is center Zach Frazier.
“With an interception and two fumble recoveries (including one for a touchdown), inside linebacker Payton Wilson also has a strong case for this title. But Frazier, who ranks third among all centers in run-block win rate (73.7%), has been a difference-maker at a position that has struggled to find continuity since the retirement of Maurkice Pouncey in 2021,” Pryor writes. “Though the Steelers’ run game has slowed recently, it still ranks 11th in the league (126 yards per game), and Frazier is a big reason.”
A case could certainly be made for linebacker Payton Wilson, who is tied for fifth on the team in tackles and also has a defensive touchdown on the year. A case could also have been made for cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr., who is second on the team in interceptions.
But no rookie has been better — or more important — to the Steelers than Frazier this season. He’s been a rock at center since stepping into the starting lineup to open the season. Though he missed some time due to an ankle injury, when he’s been on the field his presence has been felt, particularly in the run game.
The offensive line has had some struggles as of late, but Frazier remains a good player and looks like a foundational piece in the trenches for years to come.
In The Athletic’s power rankings compiled by Josh Kendall, the Steelers fell two spots to No. 9 after their loss to the Ravens, tying for the team’s biggest drop in the power rankings in Week 17 across the media landscape.
In the power rankings from The Athletic, Kendall highlighted the biggest question for the Steelers entering the final two weeks of the season. Where’s the run game?
“When Pittsburgh hired Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator, acquired Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to play quarterback and drafted three offensive linemen in the first four rounds, big things were predicted for the run game. The Steelers are trying,” Kendall writes. “They’re second in attempts (479) but next to last in yards per carry (3.9), and their offense seems dependent on whether wide receiver George Pickens plays or not. He didn’t on Saturday.”
The Steelers have placed a great emphasis on running the football and building an identity around that, having hired Smith as the offensive coordinator in late January and drafting a trio of offensive linemen to build around the combination of Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris in the backfield.
At times this season, the run game has worked as Harris had three straight 100-yard games leading up to the Steelers’ Week 9 bye. But in recent weeks, the run game has fallen off. They’re still trying to pound the rock, but it’s largely going nowhere as evidenced by that next-to-last yards per carry number in the NFL.
It hasn’t been pretty, but some of that could be tied to the absence of WR George Pickens, which has taken a vertical threat away and allowed teams to be more aggressive downhill against the run. Still, the run game struggles have been concerning for a team that has built its identity around pounding the football. And punishing teams.
