20. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers land at No. 20 in our power rankings. Last year, the Steelers kept the non-losing season streak alive, going 10-7 and winning the AFC North, but despite the years-long streak of winning records, this team could not be less of a Super Bowl contender right now.
Many of the key players that the team needs to rely on are getting up there in age, and that could not be truer for Aaron Rodgers, who is 42 years old and is playing his final year in the NFL. On paper, the Steelers don't have much that wows you. The WR duo of DK Metcalf and Pittman is fine, but they're both getting up there in age, believe it or not, and aren't exactly No. 1-caliber players.
Rodgers also looked thoroughly washed up last year, and that's only going to continue to get worse this year. I guess if things bounce their way in 2026, Pittsburgh could again finish with a winning record, but that would be about it. But when you take a look at the best teams in the NFL, it's clear that Pittsburgh is far from and will continue to hover in this middle tier until they get serious about rebuilding this operation.
19. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings back-doored their way into a winning record last year, but I am just not sure if there will be enough wins to go around, given how deep the NFC North is. Notably, Minnesota brought in Kyler Murray to start, bit there was some turnover along the defensive line this offseason, and I am not sure, at this point, the front seven is quite as good as it was last year.
There also isn't a guarantee that Murray is going to be a good fit for what Kevin O'Connell hopes to do on offense, but I suppose he could alway cater to Murray's strengths. There is some to be excited about with the Vikings, but they strike me as a fringe-playoff team this year.
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