Power Rankings: Playoff bound Steelers still get no love in the rankings

The Pittsburgh Steelers were winners in Week 18, but it didn’t do much to their standing in the latest Power Rankings.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were winners in Week 18 of the 2021 regular season. After the win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, the team has now seen their stock rise in the latest NFL Power Rankings.

These Power Rankings are something which should be taken with a grain of salt, but if nothing else they are good for some healthy debate.

Yes, Power Rankings can be an interesting exercise, and while we don’t put too much stock into these rankings it does give you a taste of how the experts at certain sites view the Steelers. Who do they have topping the rankings this week? The Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers? The Green Bay Packers? How about the Kansas City Chiefs?

Time to take a look at the latest Power Rankings:

NFL.com

1. Green Bay Packers
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Tennessee Titans
5. Buffalo Bills
6. Cincinnati Bengals
7. San Francisco 49ers
8. Los Angeles Rams
9. Dallas Cowboys
10. New England Patriots
…
14. Pittsburgh Steelers

“The rest of the AFC had a chance to put away the Zombie Steelers … but they all failed. And so the godless monster ambles on, roaming the postseason countryside in search of a new host to feed upon. Will it be the Chiefs who send the walking dead to a final resting place? Logically, yes, Kansas City is more than equipped to handle this task — but many of us thought the same about the Titans, Browns and Ravens. The Steelers are the creeping dread of the AFC playoff bracket — an uninvited guest whom no one knows quite how to get rid of.”

Pro Football Focus

1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Buffalo Bills
5. Los Angeles Rams
6. Dallas Cowboys
7. New England Patriots
8. Tennessee Titans
9. San Francisco 49ers
10. Indianapolis Colts
…
18. Pittsburgh Steelers

“Super Bowl win probability:1.0%

Highest-graded player: DI Cameron Heyward (91.0)

The Steelers backdoored their way into the playoffs and continue as 12.5-point road underdogs in their wild-card matchup in Arrowhead. Ben Roethlisberger will ride his defense and skill position unit as far as they can take him, but his final curtain call may end quickly in Kansas City. Once they inevitably lose in the playoffs, the question about what to do at the quarterback position will dominate the offseason headlines. This is clearly a team built to win now, and it will hope to land someone who can provide above-average quarterback play. If that happens, it will be an upgrade over what Ben Roethlisberger has provided in his twilight years.”

The Sporting News

1. Green Bay Packers
2. Kansas City Chiefs
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4. Tennessee Titans
5. Buffalo Bills
6. Dallas Cowboys
7. Cincinnati Bengals
8. Los Angeles Rams
9. Arizona Cardinals
10. San Francisco 49ers
…
12. Pittsburgh Steelers

“The Steelers (+7000) can’t be totally ignored because of Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Tomlin having the Super Bowl-winning experience, even with parts of their passing game and defense not being close to the championship standards of the past. Pittsburgh will try its best to grind past Kansas City, playing there for the second time in four games after falling 36-10 in Week 16. But in the end, unless Roethlisberger digs deep for firepower, his career will end vs. Mahomes in Arrowhead.”

CBS Sports

1. Green Bay Packers
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Tennessee Titans
4. Buffalo Bills
5. Kansas City Chiefs
6. Cincinnati Bengals
7. New England Patriots
8. Los Angeles Rams
9. Arizona Cardinals
10. Dallas Cowboys
…
14. Pittsburgh Steelers

“Mike Tomlin deserves a ton of credit for getting this team to the playoffs. They aren’t pretty but they found a way.”

What do you think of these rankings? Think the Steelers are too high? Not high enough? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.