NFL Power Rankings, Week 13: 49ers thrash Packers, Patriots handle Cowboys

By Dan Parzych | Nov 25, 2019

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: Tight end George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after a first down during the first half of the game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

19. Pittsburgh Steelers (18)

Thank goodness Mike Tomlin made the decision to replace Mason Rudolph with Devlin Hodges during Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals, or the Pittsburgh Steelers would have been the laughing stock of Week 12.

No team ever wants to be on the other end of a team earning their first win of the season this late in the year, and even though rivalries tend to bring out the best in teams, the Bengals defeating the Steelers would have been absolutely embarrassing.

With Pittsburgh already having a rough week following the aftermath of their previous loss to the Cleveland Browns, having to deal with coming up short against the only winless team in the NFL would have been another crushing blow to the 2019 season.

After starting off the season on a rough note with a 1-3 record in September, the Steelers are surprisingly still alive as far as the playoff race is concerned at 6-5 heading into Week 13.

Pittsburgh clearly still has a lot of work on their plate in order to have any chance of this happening, but hopefully Tomlin is smart enough to stick with Hodges since Rudolph’s stock has been on the decline in recent weeks due to poor play.

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