Hello darkness, my old friend. I’ve come to talk with you again.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are back in the dark days, and it’s the same conversation time and time again for the men in Black and Gold.
It’s one step forward with a much-needed win, two steps back with a frustrating loss in which they were out-schemed and out-coached. That’s becoming par for the course for the Steelers, and the road ahead is only going to get harder.
The loss in Week 12 to the Chicago Bears dropped the Steelers behind the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North as Baltimore has reeled off five straight wins. And how the Steelers lost to the Bears, particularly on defense, has some veteran players frustrated and starting to voice their displeasure.
It’s all a mess, and it could get worse. It’s already getting worse for the Steelers in the power rankings, too. What was once a sure-fire top 10 team is now barely a fringe top 20 team, which makes sense considering how inconsistent the Steelers have been this season.
Where do the Steelers stand in the power rankings across the NFL landscape entering Week 13? Below is a chart of aggregate power rankings from several major outlets.
The Steelers are very clearly in a free fall, having lost four of their past six games. What was once a big division lead in the AFC North has now disappeared, and the Steelers are trending in the wrong direction on both sides of the football.
That free fall doesn’t just have to do with the record, either, as the Steelers sit at 6-5 on the season. The free fall is occurring in the power rankings across the NFL landscape, too.
The largest fall this week occurred in The Athletic’s power rankings compiled by Josh Kendall. In the power rankings, the Steelers fell five spots and are now a fringe top 20 team, which seems rather fitting for a team so inconsistent.
“Pittsburgh has won nine or 10 games in four straight years, and this one looks like it could go similarly. Is that enough, though?” Kendall writes regarding the Steelers in the power rankings. “Is the Steelers’ brass OK sitting barely above .500 every year? With Pittsburgh’s difficult schedule to close the season, our playoff simulator gives them just a 20 percent chance of reaching the postseason.”
With six wins already on the season, the Steelers have a chance to get to nine or 10 wins this season again, as Kendall points out. The road will be tough, though, starting in Week 13 against the Buffalo Bills before then hitting the road in Week 14 for a matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.
After that, the Steelers face the Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns and Ravens to close the season. Can they put together three or four wins in that stretch? Will it ultimately matter?
Fans are fed up, and it’s understandable. It’s the same thing every year for the last few years. They make changes to the roster, start fast and fade down the stretch. Then, it’s one-and-done in the playoffs. Head coach Mike Tomlin and members of his coaching staff are under quite a bit of fire right now, and things seem like they might only get worse.
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