ESPN Power Rankings Perpetuates Steelers' Status Quo

The Pittsburgh Steelers know how this story goes. They extend head coach Mike Tomlin’s non-losing-season streak. The offense falters, their AFC North rivals play deeper into January, and they manage to go yet another offseason without leaving quarterback purgatory.

There are legitimate reasons to be excited about the next rendition of Tomlin’s Steelers. Trading for Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf adds a more convincing level of potency to a receiver room that boasted just one star in 2024. Pittsburgh’s 2025 NFL Draft added more physicality to both sides of the ball, and free agency helped create a slightly remodeled secondary.

A (somewhat) promising starting quarterback might be in the cards, too, if Aaron Rodgers puts pen to paper.

And yet, Steelers fans are left saying the same thing about ESPN’s latest power rankings, accepting their role as the NFL’s middle-class mainstay. Pittsburgh came in at No. 17, between the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons.

“Mike Tomlin said the team had ‘extreme urgency’ in adding to the defensive line, and it showed in the draft,” Brooke Pryor wrote. “The Steelers used their first-round pick on Derrick Harmon, a versatile defensive tackle who models his game after Cameron Heyward's. Then, the Steelers double-dipped at the position with big-bodied tackle Yahya Black, who coaches said can play nose tackle but will likely be a 4-technique. That leaves the Steelers with a crowded defensive line room, but it's a good problem to have, as they struggled to stop the run last season.”

The skepticism – if one can call it that – is warranted. Even with Rodgers in the building, Pittsburgh will still be expected to finish behind the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens, and ahead of the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers will be projected to hover around .500, and if they are fortunate enough to make the playoffs, they won’t be taken seriously as contenders.

At this point, it feels like a way of life in Pittsburgh, a 17-game season reduced to a waiting game.

The Steelers’ next franchise quarterback may not arrive anytime soon, but there’s still room for Pittsburgh to play meaningful football and ruin a contender’s season in the process.