The Steelers spent their bye week without taking a snap, but that didn’t stop the power-rankings conversation from circling right back to Pittsburgh. With four straight wins and first place in the AFC North in hand, the question was simple: did the rest of the league finally start treating the Steelers like a real threat?
The answer was mostly yes. Across the rankings, Pittsburgh held steady or climbed, and one outlet even pushed the Steelers into the top 10.
CBS Sports led the way with Pittsburgh at No. 9, up from No. 10.
Pete Prisco pointed directly to what’s next: “They come off their bye with a big game for the division lead against the Bengals. Their defense will be challenged by that passing game.”
Pro Football Talk had the Steelers at No. 7, moving them up one spot from No. 8. Mike Florio kept the focus on the matchup ahead, saying, “Completing the sweep of the Bengals will be critical to winning the division.”
FOX Sports ranked Pittsburgh No. 12, up from No. 13, and Ralph Vacchiano argued the Steelers probably should have climbed even more after a quiet weekend around the teams above them. He noted that Pittsburgh has “a huge opportunity to jump next Sunday night when they take on the high-flying Bengals in Cincinnati,” adding that “the Steelers defense could cause the Bengals some problems, but the odds are pretty good that if Pittsburgh is going to win, they’ll have to find a way to win a high-scoring game.”
The Athletic kept the Steelers at No. 13, though Chad Graff and Josh Kendall still framed the team’s rise as a real one: “Four straight wins entering the bye have the Steelers climbing our ranking behind a surging defense. The fear was that this season would end similarly to recent ones in the Mike Tomlin era, but Pittsburgh is playing well enough to inspire hope for the second half.”
NFL.com also left Pittsburgh at No. 12.
Nick Shook wrote, “Pittsburgh cruised into its Week 9 bye on a roll after dominating the Browns to take control of the AFC North. An even more important test awaits the Steelers in their return to action this week: a prime-time date with the 6-2 Bengals on Sunday Night Football.”
Yahoo! Sports kept the Steelers at No. 13 as well, but Frank Schwab laid out just how much is riding on Sunday night.
He wrote that Pittsburgh “can take a huge step toward the AFC North title,” pointing to the rest edge from the bye and the Bengals’ quick turnaround after playing in Spain. Schwab also noted that “With a win the Steelers will clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bengals because of a season sweep.”
He added that the first meeting went Pittsburgh’s way 30-27, with the Steelers outgaining Cincinnati 411-352, while Joe Burrow threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns and Aaron Rodgers answered with 292 passing yards. Jaylen Warren added 127 rushing yards, and Pittsburgh also benefited from a muffed punt and a major roughing-the-punter penalty by Cincinnati in the second half.
USA Today had Pittsburgh at No. 13, unchanged from last week. Nate Davis wrote, “First place in the AFC North will be on the line Sunday night in Cincinnati.
And the defense has gotten increasingly stingy for a group riding a four-game heater. Should be a fun one.”
ESPN also kept the Steelers at No. 13.
Brooke Pryor pointed out that this is “the second time in as many games” Pittsburgh has faced an AFC North opponent with first place on the line. She noted that Joe Burrow and the Bengals are rolling, while the Steelers are coming off the bye after beating Cincinnati by a field goal in Week 3.
Pryor also wrote that with two games against the Ravens still ahead, “a win against the Bengals would go a long way to securing the division title -- and earning a top-four playoff seed.”
So while Pittsburgh didn’t play, it didn’t slide. In several rankings, the Steelers moved up, and CBS Sports finally put them inside the top 10. Now comes the real test: Sunday night in Cincinnati, where a season sweep of the Bengals would not only tighten Pittsburgh’s grip on the AFC North, but likely push the Steelers even higher in next week’s rankings.
In Other News...
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What makes the situation tricky is that the Steelers may not need to force anything if the roster starts to heal in time. The team is waiting to see whether injured players can return soon enough to soften the urgency at receiver, and that could end up being the deciding factor in whether Pittsburgh actually pushes a deal across the finish line or simply stays patient. For now, the deadline question is less about chasing a splash and more about whether the current group can be stabilized without paying a premium. [Read more 🡒]