16. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3)
Steelers will have played the Chargers on Sunday Night Football
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have squared-off against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football. My thoughts before the game happens is that the Steelers do have a chance to win here, as the Chargers are going to be without tackle Joe Alt for the rest of the season, so the offensive line is in rough shape, and the Steelers can, if nothing else, get to the QB. Speaking of QB, Aaron Rodgers has been really sharp this year and has done his job, so the Steelers should be able to put up points in this one.
And honestly, this game could be a coin flip given how beat up the Chargers’ OL is. I have actually predicted a Steelers’ win, but I am prepared to be wrong. Pittsburgh has been about as expected this year - they aren’t a spectacular team by any means, but are again winning more than they are losing, and that is always tough to do in the NFL.
However, just like the previous several seasons, this team is simply not good enough to make a playoff run and is trending toward going one-and-done in the playoffs for the millionth time in a row.
Is that the standard with this franchise?
15. Baltimore Ravens (4-5)
Don’t look now, but the Baltimore Ravens are now 4-5 on the season and doing what many people thought they could do now that Lamar Jackson is back in the picture. It was not a blowout or anything, but the Ravens took care of business against a shaky Vikings’ team.
The Ravens have to keep stacking wins and likely have to win 10 games to get into the playoffs this year, and I really do believe they have a legitimate shot at winning the AFC North. The team is remarkably healthier than they were just a few weeks ago, which is wild to think about.
This team has also stacked a ton of success in the regular season, and it would simply be unprecedented to see this team missing the playoffs. The Ravens still have a ton of work to do, and it’s not like they’ve ‘made it’ or anything, but they have begun to confirm what most of us thought about being able to stack wins.
The Ravens gradually rise in our power rankings and could make a huge jump in the coming weeks. Don’t rule this team out.