Saturday, September 18, 2021

Pittsburgh Steelers Week 2 NFL Power Rankings Roundup

Throughout the 2021 NFL season, we will compile a consensus NFL Power Rankings that averages the rankings of all 32 NFL teams.

Here is where the Pittsburgh Steelers rank in terms of average, best and worst:

  • Average ranking: 7.0 (T-5th)
  • Best ranking: 5th (NFL.com)
  • Worst ranking: 8th (Multiple)

Below you will find a Week 2 roundup for the Steelers in our consensus 2021 NFL Power Rankings.

ESPN -- Rank: 8

Top rookie: C Kendrick Green

The Steelers offensive line is still a work in progress, but Green had a pretty solid game in his NFL debut with a 100% pass block win rate -- good for a six-way tie for best among centers. Green has a reputation of being a passionate player, bringing the physicality through the whistle. He delivered that Sunday, as Green aggressively finished blocks and continued to show the kind of edge the Steelers want to see on the line. -- Brooke Pryor

NFL.com -- Rank: 5

All your summer Steelers takes are junk. Mike Tomlin's team went up to Western New York and delivered a team performance that blasted away six months of narratives about the state of Pittsburgh professional football. Minkah Fitzpatrick and T.J. Watt spearheaded a stingy defense that eliminated the big-strike Bills attack that flummoxed the NFL a season ago, and Ben Roethlisberger and the offense found their footing in the second half with scores on four consecutive possessions. It was both a victory and a reminder: This Steelers team ain't dead yet. Said Big Ben: "Guys understand what just happened."

CBS Sports -- Rank: 7

Going on the road and beating the Bills was a heck of a day for the Steelers. The defense and special teams won that game, so the offense has to be better going forward.

USA Today -- Rank: 8

They were hardly dominant in upset of Buffalo. But tough defense, a re-commitment to the run and opportunistic special teams could carry Pittsburgh a long way once again.

The Athletic -- Rank: 7

Overreaction: T.J. Watt will win Defensive Player of the Year. Sure, he wasn't the Week 1 sack leader (hello, Chandler Jones), but he had arguably the best week of any defensive player in the NFL just after signing his massive new contract. He followed that up with a two-sack performance against the Bills. -- Jones

Reality check: The Steelers opened 11-0 last year, so this can't be that surprising. And while the defense looked great, the offense stalled twice inside the 10, and Najee Harris (while playing every single snap!) had only 45 yards on 16 carries. Steelers-Raiders is a pretty good game Sunday. -- Auman

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