The Pittsburgh Steelers and power rankings have had a curious relationship throughout the 2020 NFL season. Despite remaining undefeated until Week 13, creators often kept the Steelers out of the top spot, opting for the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs who had lost to the Las Vegas Raiders early in the season.
During Week 13, the Washington Football Team upset the Steelers, knocking them to 11-1 on the season, tied with the Chiefs.
Power Rankings and the Pittsburgh Steelers
Before losing, the justification for putting the Steelers at the top of the power rankings often began and ended with “but they are undefeated.” While, yes, they were undefeated, power rankings are not a ranking purely based on a team’s record. Teams can be better or worse than their record.
The Steelers exist in a gelatinous blob of teams that could win two playoff games and make the AFC Conference Championship Game. They are in the same general tier as the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, and Raiders.
Recent Offensive Struggles
However, the offense is entirely lacking in recent weeks. Many of the problems stem from wide receiver drops, and that is a valid reason. However, even without the miscues, Pittsburgh did not play well enough to consistently beat any of the aforementioned teams. Pro Football Focus pinned 11 total drops on Pittsburgh pass-catchers in Weeks 12 and 13.
The likes of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool, James Washington, and Diontae Johnson are incredibly talented and versatile wide receivers, but the drops have piled up.
Yes, they beat the Ravens two weeks ago, but the offense scored 13 points and performed poorly in the red zone. Defensively, they were great, but Baltimore was missing Lamar Jackson, J.K. Dobbins, Mark Ingram, Mark Andrews, and Willie Snead. Pittsburgh’s defense is unquestionably elite, but they were dealt a good hand.
Yes, they beat the Browns, Ravens (twice), and Titans. The Browns win was by 31 points. It is unlikely they will beat the Browns by 31 during Week 17. These are not fluky wins, but Pittsburgh would not be a lock to beat those three teams again.
Does Pittsburgh suck? No. They are going through a rough patch. They have had no rushing game for a month, and the quick passing game is less effective when receivers drop passes and fail to get yards after the catch.
The Steelers are the 2nd best team in the AFC, but they have identifiable flaws on offense. In 2020, Ben Roethlisberger and the offense is unlikely to be good enough to win playoff games, so Pittsburgh is relying on defense in the most offensive-heavy era in NFL history.
The Talent Is There
An elite defensive performance can be undermined by one missed tackle or one odd bounce. For example, if Baltimore scores a touchdown before the half, Marquise Brown’s 70-yard touchdown in the final minutes could have been a game-winning touchdown rather than one that just annoyed bettors.
As with any team that leans on a particular facet of the game, the Steelers are operating on a thin edge. If the defense has a few bad drives in a game, the offense does not seem to be consistent enough to pull out wins. Sure, the Pittsburgh offense has scored an impressive 37 touchdowns, but they have been running out of steam recently.
The Steelers’ offense has accounted for 30 points in their last 120 minutes of play. While they were playing two of the top eight scoring defenses (Baltimore and Washington), an anemic offense puts massive stress on the defense. For example, look at the 2019 Steelers.
The 2020 Steelers are elite in nearly every defensive category, but a failing offense could make the elite defense irrelevant.
Problems to Fix:
Pittsburgh is 22nd in net yards per pass and 29th in yards per rush. Drops and injures have played a role in these falling throughout the season, but it is unsustainable. The Steelers are seventh in points scored, benefitting from three defensive touchdowns and one of the best starting field positions in the NFL.
Pittsburgh is 21st in yards and bottom 10 in yards per play. These are marks of a below-average offense. On a per-play basis, the Steelers are 0.3 yards per play better than opponents. The Chiefs are 0.9 yards per play better. The Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints are 0.7 yards per play better.
In terms of yards per play better than their opponents, the Steelers are on the same level as the 4-8 Houston Texans.
Pittsburgh’s margin of error often boils down to turnovers. To their credit, they have turned the ball over just 12 times in 13 games. They have forced a league-leading 23, returning three interceptions for touchdowns. They have won the turnover battle in eight games. Out of those games, they are 8-0 with all five of their double-digit wins. In the other four games, Pittsburgh is 3-1 with a +7 point differential. Their wins against Tennessee, the Denver Broncos, and Baltimore (Week 12) required a missed field goal and two backup quarterbacks to keep Pittsburgh’s undefeated season intact.
Pittsburgh is a strong team with genuine Super Bowl aspirations. However, they are not in the same tier as the Chiefs. Could they beat the Chiefs? Yes. Should they be favored in a Chiefs-Steelers AFC Title Game at Heinz Field? No.
With the end of their perfect season, the Pittsburgh Steelers and power rankings will no longer be stuck in an awkward relationship.
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