The Pittsburgh Steelers started 2-0 but fell in some power rankings from The Athletic and ESPN yesterday, but moved up one spot in Pro Football Focus’ latest power rankings ahead of Week 3. After being ranked 10th last week, the Steelers moved up to 9th following their 13-6 win over the Denver Broncos.
“The Steelers surprised everyone by getting off to a 2-0 start with wins over the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos,” writes PFF’s Thomas Valentine. “The offense was flawless, but as expected, it was the defense that bore the brunt of the burden. They are the third-ranked unit in EPA allowed per game (-0.289).”
Pittsburgh’s strategy this season has been to take care of the football and force drives, wearing down the opposing defense while letting their own defense make plays and force three-and-outs. So far, it’s worked, and the Steelers’ Week 1 win over the Falcons looks even better now that Atlanta has a road win against the Philadelphia Eagles, beating them on Monday Night Football in Week 2.
The Steelers will rely on their defense all season, but it’s unlikely that their offensive game plan will remain as conservative as it has been. With Pittsburgh’s first two games being on the road, the coaches wanted to mitigate some of the risk by not being as aggressive and making sure they could stay on schedule and move the chains. With Justin Fields becoming more comfortable in the middle, we could see more shots down the field in the next few weeks and the Steelers could open up their playbook a bit, especially in the comfortable Acrisure Stadium.
Pittsburgh’s victories so far have been thanks to the strength of its defense, and if the defense can play at this level all year long, the Steelers should have no problem making the playoffs. They’ve forced turnovers, collected sacks, and made life difficult for the opposing offense, and in two games so far, they’ve allowed just one touchdown.
They have a test on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, who will look to wear Pittsburgh down with the running game before potentially catching up with Justin Herbert. It could be Pittsburgh’s biggest test yet, as Los Angeles is 2-0 and 15th in the PFF rankings. If the defense holds up, the Steelers should be in good shape to continue playing turnover-free football or at least win the turnover battle.
