Thursday, September 30, 2021

Pittsburgh Steelers Week 4 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: 20.8 (T-20th)
  • Best ranking: 20th (Multiple)
  • Worst ranking: 22nd (CBS Sports)

Below you will find a Week 4 roundup for the Steelers in our consensus 2021 NFL Power Rankings.

ESPN -- Rank: 21

Ben Roethlisberger's performance through three games is only surprising if you ignore his age and the offensive line's many red flags. The offense is undeniably bad, but that doesn't fall entirely on Roethlisberger. Even with his limited mobility, he is still the best quarterback on the roster, with Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins being the others. Roethlisberger has been hit 22 times in three games, and some bad passes are the result of near-constant duress or miscommunications with receivers. But the biggest indictments of his slow start are the coverage sacks and the interceptions during the loss to the Bengals. Roethlisberger has to be smarter with the football if he is going to spur an offensive turnaround. -- Brooke Pryor

NFL.com -- Rank: 20

We learned just how much T.J. Watt means to the Steelers' defense on Sunday. Pittsburgh entered its matchup against the Bengals with a sack in an NFL-record 75 straight regular season games. As Watt watched from the sideline with an injured groin, the Steelers' streak was unceremoniously halted by a pedestrian Cincinnati line that had struggled to keep Joe Burrow upright a week before against the Bears. While the defense sputtered, the offense remained stuck in neutral. This was particularly apparent on an 18-play, 88-yard, nine-minute drive that ended with a field goal in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh was still down 24-10 after the Chris Boswell kick, with a chunk of the second half now lost for good. The Steelers have big problems on offense with no easy solutions.

CBS Sports -- Rank: 22

This is a bad team right now. The offense doesn't scare anybody. In fact, it's a downright mess. How did they beat the Bills?

USA Today -- Rank: 20

After a Week 1 aberration, Pittsburgh has sunk to last place in the AFC North, thanks largely to an O-line that's been as bad as forecast. Rookie RB Najee Harris is actually averaging more receiving yards (49.7) than rushing (41.0) per game.

The Athletic -- Rank: 21

Surprise! The Steelers' confidence in an aging Ben Roethlisberger was misguided. But perhaps this isn't really a surprise at all. (We watched the film of Roethlisberger's 2020 season.) Now, after a particularly futile offensive effort in a home loss to Cincinnati, the Steelers are having to answer questions about potentially benching Roethlisberger. But for who? Mason Rudolph? Dwayne Haskins? Old Ben it is, we guess.

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