NFL power rankings roundup: Where the Steelers stand heading into Week 7
The Pittsburgh Steelers head into the final two games of the 2024 season's first half at 4-2 after a not-so-convincing Week 6 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. This week, Pittsburgh hosts the New York Jets, a team hungry for a victory after three straight losses.
Here's where the Steelers stand heading into Week 7.
ESPN
Current ranking: 11 (15)
Author: Brooke Pryor
Author's take: By hiring OC Arthur Smith in the offseason, the Steelers appeared to signal they wanted to be a ground-and-pound team. But before the Week 6 win over Las Vegas, the offense didn't consistently move the ball on the ground. Najee Harris' 106 rushing yards Sunday -- part of a season-best 183 team total -- could mean the beginning of a running renaissance. Or the tide could turn if coach Mike Tomlin opts to replace QB Justin Fields with a now-healthy Russell Wilson to jump-start the passing game, which ranks 28th with 166.8 yards per game. Still, the team's offensive identity is yet to be revealed through six games.
Our take: The Raiders' bad run defense was evidenced by Najee Harris' season-best performance and a career-best 7.5 yards per carry. Running the ball was working, so the Steelers stuck with it. Time will tell if Harris can repeat against a 14th-ranked Jets run D.
Yahoo! Sports
Current ranking: 12 (13)
Author: Frank Schwab
Author's take: Najee Harris hasn’t looked good all season. Finally on Sunday vs. the Raiders he had 106 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. The Steelers want to be a run-centric offense and for that they need Harris to be effective.
Our take: The Steelers want to be run-centric, something they made clear this offseason. But it took five rough outings and a bottom-ranked Raiders run defense to make visibly that statement. If Pittsburgh wants to make ground-and-pound their identity, Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren have to be more consistent.
CBS Sports
Current ranking: 13 (15)
Author: Pete Prisco
Author's take: They won with defense and timely playmaking by Justin Fields against the Raiders -- especially with his legs. He has to stay in as the starter.
Our take: Pulling Justin Fields for Russell Wilson is a fool's errand. Has he made some questionable throws? Sure. But what quarterback doesn't? Fields is the franchise's future and Wilson will be donning another team's colors or retiring in a few months.
USA Today
Current ranking: 16 (16)
Author: Nate Davis
Author's take: Another win, another injured offensive lineman (rookie C Zach Frazier). It's not a sustainable formula.
Our take: Given the mess that is the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line, the unit could be much worse.
Sports Illustrated
Current ranking: 10 (14)
Author: Conor Orr
Author's take: Only two of Justin Fields’s games this year have culminated in a total EPA of less than five for the game, and Fields has yet to cost the team points. While Russell Wilson was similarly consistent during the beginning of the year with the 2023 Broncos, Fields has the Steelers in the top half of the league in most offensive efficiency categories. Oddly enough, it’s rushing success rate that has been flummoxing Pittsburgh. Let’s fix that first before we have a serious conversation about a QB change.
Our take: The Steelers intend to be a running team. Exchanging Justin Fields for Russell Wilson would only detract from that goal.
NBC Sports Pro Football Talk
Current ranking: 11 (12)
Author: Mike Florio
Author's take: With the Jets and Giants coming up in prime time, the Steelers could be 6-2 at their bye.
Our take: The Jets and Giants are bad teams -- two of the worst the Steelers have faced all season. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh tends to play down to (and lose to) bad teams.
NFL.com
Current ranking: 10 (10)
Author: Eric Edholm
Author's take: You can’t say that Justin Fields played a pristine game Sunday, with the shadow of Russell Wilson growing larger by the day now that he’s been cleared to play. It’s hard to gripe too much about a 19-point road win, even against a shorthanded opponent, and it should be noted that Fields ran for two scores and didn’t turn the ball over. That said, he had a would-be INT called back on a roughing-the-passer penalty, went cold in the middle 30 minutes of the game and didn’t always handle pressure effectively. Najee Harris and Fields did enough to grind away at the Raiders on the ground, and the Steelers’ defense took care of the rest. But with each so-so performance by Fields -- even as Pittsburgh keeps winning -- the questions about a QB switch will hang in the air.
Our take: I've said it once and I'll say it again: Justin Fields is the future of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's grown leaps and bounds from his Chicago days and will only continue to improve in Pittsburgh. Pulling him now would destroy any of that progress and potentially have the Steelers back at square one with the quarterback position.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: NFL power rankings roundup: Where the Steelers stand heading into Week 7
