Behind the Steel Curtain
The Steelers improved to 2-1 this past Sunday with a win over the New England Patriots. It was not pretty, but it was perfectly Steelers football. Five turnovers of New England led the way, while Aaron Rodgers was able to do just enough on offense to lead the Steelers to a tough road victory. The Steelers have a favorable schedule ahead as they are slated to face backup quarterbacks in two of their next three contests.
Let’s see how high the Steelers climbed in the latest power rankings.
“The Steelers wouldn’t have beaten the Patriots without getting five takeaways, but the defense has largely been boom-or-bust this season. Pittsburgh has given up a league-high 32 explosive plays, defined as 10 yards or longer. Four of those turned into touchdowns, including a fourth-down, 16-yard throw from New England quarterback Drake Maye to tight end Hunter Henry that tied the game in the fourth quarter. Some of that is the result of injuries to starters and communication issues with new personnel, but the Steelers have to find more defensive consistency.” – Brooke Pryor
“They are 2-1 after winning at New England, but they still haven’t looked great on either side of the ball. The defense just isn’t up to Steelers grade yet.” – Pete Prisco
“The Steelers are still grinding a bit more than expected with Aaron Rodgers at the controls of a talented young offense but the big part of the Patriots win was getting a few defensive fixes around T.J. Watt.” – Vinnie Iyer
“Next up, the league’s first regular-season game in Ireland − great spot for Aaron Rodgers to share his thoughts on Sinn Féin. On the football front, they need to get the NFL’s second-worst ground attack into gear or risk being overly reliant on their 41-year-old slinger.” – Nate Davis
The Steelers have yet to fully hit their stride and have a chance to rise even higher in the rankings in the coming weeks, with several division opponents waiting for Pittsburgh after the bye.
