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Go ahead and admit it. You didn't believe in Mike McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers, the aging defense or the Pittsburgh Steelers when the season started in September.
McCarthy, who won a Super Bowl with Rodgers in Green Bay, was fired by the Dallas Cowboys after five seasons in 2024. He came to the Steelers with many questioning why it was him, even if he was a Pittsburgh guy.
Rodgers was back for one more year in large part because McCarthy was the coach, but at 41, how effective would he be? The defense? Expensive and old.
Now look.
The Steelers are 6-2 and in first place in the AFC North. They dominated the Cleveland Browns Sunday in a 27-6 victory that saw the Steelers do what the Steelers do when they are good.
They ran it on offense, and they sacked the quarterback on defense. Pittsburgh ran for 200 yards and sacked Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson eight times. Seven different players, led by T.J. Watt with two sacks, contributed to the sack total.
Rodgers didn't have to do much, throwing for 172 yards, no touchdowns and one pick. But that's just the way the Steelers would like it to be with a successful running game.
The Steelers are fourth in the NFL in scoring defense at 18.0 points per game and lead the league in sacks with 26. They are 14th in rushing offense, but have averaged 145.7 yards the past three.
That's the Steelers way.
They are up to No. 10 in my Power Rankings as they head to their bye week. After that, it's a big division game at Cincinnati on Sunday night against the Bengals.
As for the bottom of my rankings, the Los Angeles Chargers stay there after their lifeless showing in the loss to the Rams Sunday. They are the league's No. 1 disaster right now and jobs could be lost because of this season.
In Pittsburgh, it's the opposite. At 6-2, they have established themselves as the top team in their division — even if few saw that happening before the season.
Biggest Movers
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bills | They lead the league in scoring, which they might need to, in order to win it all with their defense. That offense faces a tough challenge this week against the Vikings. | 1 | 6-1-0 |
| 2 | 49ers | They come off a much-needed bye with added help up front thanks to the DeForest Buckner trade. This is a team that will make a strong Super Bowl push. | 1 | 6-1-0 |
| 3 | Jaguars | They are one of two teams in the top-10 in scoring defense and scoring offense. They also lead the league in scoring margin. Losing valuable nose tackle DaVon Hamilton with a knee injury means a trade has to be made. | 6 | 5-2-0 |
| 4 | Bears | They went into Seattle and beat up the Seahawks. The Jeffrey Simmons trade paid off right away with a dominant first game. | 4 | 6-2-0 |
| 5 | Broncos | They have a lot of late-game magic to win games. That formula has worked for this team, but for how long? | 2 | 6-2-0 |
| 6 | Vikings | The offense just isn't good enough, which is why they suffered their first loss at Detroit Sunday. They have a tough one this week against the Bills. | 5 | 6-1-0 |
| 7 | Chiefs | The explosive running game of the 5-0 start has gone away the past two weeks, both losses. See the correlation? They have to get Kenneth Walker going again. | 3 | 5-2-0 |
| 8 | Bengals | Joe Burrow and the passing game bailed out the defense in the overtime victory over the Titans. That defense was bad for a lot of the day. | 3 | 5-2-0 |
| 9 | Lions | They beat the Packers and the Vikings in consecutive weeks in low-scoring games. That's a new formula for this team to win games, but a good sign. | 1 | 5-2-0 |
| 10 | Steelers | They are 6-2 as they go to their bye, which has them in first place in their division. The pass rush and run game have really keyed their fast start. | 5 | 6-2-0 |
| 11 | Patriots | They didn't look great in the victory over Miami, but a win is a win. The defense is getting better by the week. | -- | 5-3-0 |
| 12 | Packers | With Jordan Love and a much-improved defense, they have a chance to really soar when Micah Parsons gets back. He's practicing this week. Do they make a deal for a back? | 1 | 5-3-0 |
| 13 | Rams | The defense came up big in the victory over the Chargers. The offense didn't do a ton, but the run game clicked enough to get this team to 4-4. | 3 | 4-4-0 |
| 14 | Seahawks | They don't do enough on offense. Sam Darnold just doesn't look right. They got beat up at home by the Bears, which is not a good sign. | 8 | 4-4-0 |
| 15 | Giants | They come off their bye with a solid hold of the division lead. It's J.J. McCarthy time now. | 2 | 4-2-1 |
| 16 | Buccaneers | They are running it better than anybody in the league. Combine that with a defense playing great football, and Tampa Bay is the best team in the NFC South. | 7 | 3-5-0 |
| 17 | Browns | The early success went bye-bye in the loss to the Steelers. They were dominated on both sides of the ball, which is not a good look. | 3 | 5-3-0 |
| 18 | Panthers | Their optimism from three weeks ago has faded with two losses and the firing of defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. But in a bad division, they are still in it. | -- | 3-4-0 |
| 19 | Falcons | The defense got gashed in the run game against Tampa Bay and Michael Penix was a turnover machine. That's a recipe for disaster. | -- | 3-5-0 |
| 20 | Ravens | No Lamar Jackson, no chance. It's that simple. Jackson is on injured reserve with a thumb injury that will likely derail this team's playoff chances. | 8 | 4-4-0 |
| 21 | Cardinals | Gardner Minshew came off the bench to lead the Cardinals to a good road overtime victory over the Cowboys. He is now the starter. | 7 | 3-5-0 |
| 22 | Cowboys | What in the hell was that against the Cardinals? That's the kind of loss that gets a coach fired. Jerry Jones said it's not happening now, but Brian Schottenheimer better get it going. | 2 | 3-5-0 |
| 23 | Texans | It's hard for many to see how this team is down this low in the rankings. Here's why: the defense has been a mess. They can't afford another loss or they might be done. | 2 | 2-5-0 |
| 24 | Raiders | They snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Jets. The offense had a nice day with Kirk Cousins playing well. Fernando Mendoza-time can wait. | 2 | 4-4-0 |
| 25 | Jets | The heat is intensifying by the week on Aaron Glenn. They do have a lot of talented young players on this roster. | 1 | 2-6-0 |
| 26 | Saints | They come off their bye with a home game against the Browns. At 2-5, the early hope has faded and they fired their run-game coordinator this week, which means panic has set in. | 1 | 2-5-0 |
| 27 | Commanders | Jayden Daniels won for the first time in a long time. They rallied to beat the Eagles as the offense showed life and the defense was better. Now here come the Rams. | 2 | 2-4-1 |
| 28 | Eagles | This season is officially a disaster. They are done. When do they start selling off players? | 4 | 2-6-0 |
| 29 | Dolphins | I will say it every week: I love where this team is headed. They play hard and the young players seem to be improving. | 1 | 1-6-0 |
| 30 | Colts | They are toast. After trading away assets, they laid down in the loss to the Jaguars. Who gets traded next? | 5 | 2-6-0 |
| 31 | Titans | Give Cam Ward credit for doing a better job on the road in the loss to the Bengals. The defense was awful, which is another issue. | -- | 1-7-0 |
| 32 | Chargers | Do they have a Justin Herbert problem? It sure looks like it. They are a mess. | -- | 0-7-0 |
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