The Pittsburgh Steelers are a bit of a mess after three straight losses, the latest coming at the hands of the lowly Cincinnati Bengals, which sees them drop out of the top 10 of Brad Biggs’ latest NFL power rankings.
Last week’s ranking in parentheses.
———
1. Chiefs 13-1 (1)
Running back Clyde Helaire-Edwards will miss time with a hip injury and that could be a problem for Kansas City’s high-powered offense.
2. Bills 11-3 (2)
Josh Allen was on fire in a demolition of the Broncos and former Bills coach Marv Levy congratulated Sean McDermott after the Bills clinched the AFC East for the first time since 1995.
3. Packers 11-3 (3)
Green Bay’s offense wasn’t clicking against Carolina, but that didn’t stop the Packers from rolling to their fourth straight win.
4. Saints 10-4 (5)
New Orleans limited explosive plays and put together a solid defensive outing against the Chiefs but couldn’t get stops in the red zone.
5. Titans 10-4 (7)
Derrick Henry has a league-high 321 carries — 18 more than he had last season — with two games remaining.
6. Colts 10-4 (8)
Colts tackle DeForest Buckner might not have the shiniest statistics but he should be in consideration for defensive player of the year. The trade acquisition has been that impactful.
7. Seahawks 10-4 (9)
What looked to be a blowout turned into a narrow 20-15 victory over Washington, but Seattle clinched a playoff berth for the eighth time in nine years.
8. Ravens 9-5 (10)
Lamar Jackson has been heating up the last three weeks and if he keeps that up, Baltimore can be a tough team to face in the postseason.
9. Browns 10-4 (11)
Cleveland has not won a playoff game since the franchise was reborn in 1999. Is this the year?
10. Rams 9-5 (4)
Sean McVay’s offense is limited with Jared Goff when Los Angeles cannot run the ball. As dangerous as the Rams can be, losing to the Jets is a stunner.
11. Buccaneers 9-5 (12)
Tampa Bay needs to ramp things up with the playoffs looming because Sunday’s rally for a victory at Atlanta was a real slog.
12. Steelers 11-3 (6)
Remember when Pittsburgh had won 11 straight and there was talk of a 16-0 season? The Steelers have lost three straight and got humiliated Monday night against the Bengals in Cincinnati. The offense is a wreck.
13. Dolphins 9-5 (13)
Miami started six rookies on offense in Sunday’s win over the Patriots as Miami continues to rebuild with youth while hunting for an AFC playoff spot.
14. Cardinals 8-6 (14)
Arizona is explosive on offense, but the Cardinals still make a lot of mistakes, such as two turnovers in the red zone in Sunday’s 33-26 victory over the Eagles.
15. Bears 7-7 (18)
Running back David Montgomery has rushed for 434 yards and five touchdowns in the last four weeks.
16. Washington 6-8 (15)
If Alex Smith can return from the calf injury that sidelined him Sunday, Washington figures to have a good shot at claiming the NFC East with the Panthers and Eagles remaining on the schedule.
17. Vikings 6-8 (17)
Running back Dalvin Cook said the offense needed to look in the mirror after some missed opportunities in a 33-27 loss to the Bears. “I’d say the defense has to look in the mirror too,” coach Mike Zimmer said.
18. Raiders 7-7 (16)
Losses in four of their last five games have erased just about any playoff hope. Jon Gruden and Mike Mayock now need to plot a way to rebuild their woeful defense.
19. Patriots 6-8 (19)
New England’s streak of making the playoffs in 11 straight years — an NFL record — is officially over. It should hold up very well against the test of time.
20. Chargers 5-9 (28)
Has rookie quarterback Justin Herbert been good enough to save coach Anthony Lynn’s job? Los Angeles rallied to stun the Raiders on Thursday but it has been a season full of mistakes for the third-year coach.
21. 49ers 5-9 (20)
San Francisco was eliminated from the postseason race but the 49ers could play spoiler with games remaining against the Cardinals and Seahawks.
22. Giants 5-9 (22)
New York is going to have to strike a balance when it comes to upgrading the offensive line and finding playmakers for the passing game because both are badly needed. The Giants are 31st in scoring, averaging 17.4 points per game.
23. Cowboys 5-9 (26)
Ezekiel Elliott is a prime example of why it’s dangerous to give a running back a massive second contract. He missed Sunday’s win over the 49ers with a calf injury and he has been ineffective all season when he has been on the field.
24. Broncos 5-9 (21)
The Drew Lock experiment is running out of time but what level of faith can there be in John Elway to find a solution?
25. Eagles 4-9-1 (23)
The future of Carson Wentz is going to be one of the hottest storylines when the season ends as rookie Jalen Hurts has brought some energy to a previously comatose offense.
26. Bengals 3-11-1 (30)
Cincinnati played with some edge and got after Ben Roethlisberger to stun the Steelers.
27. Lions 5-9 (24)
Special teams coordinator Brayden Coombs was fired Monday morning, a day after going rogue with a fake punt call. The element of surprise is crucial to fake kicks and when your own head coach doesn’t know it’s coming, that’s an enhanced level of surprise.
28. Texans 4-10 (25)
How far off is Houston? The Texans have had two narrow losses to the Colts and QB Deshaun Watson is a huge piece for the next GM/coach pairing, but there is heavy lifting needed.
29. Panthers 4-10 (27)
The Panthers played particularly well against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers on Saturday night, but less than 48 hours later GM Marty Hurney was fired. Coach Matt Rhule will now have input in the selection of a new GM.
30. Falcons 4-10 (29)
Atlanta was furious with a curious spot by officials late in Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay. But the Falcons should be accustomed to seeing Tom Brady erase large deficits against them.
31. Jets 1-13 (32)
Quarterback Sam Darnold described the season’s most improbable victory, a 23-20 upset of the Rams, as an “amazing feeling.” Jets fans describe it differently as Trevor Lawrence now appears destined for Jacksonville.
32. Jaguars 1-13 (31)
While one 13-game losing streak ended Sunday for the Jets, Jacksonville lost for the 13th consecutive time. The Jaguars would win a tiebreaker with the Jets for the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft.
