AFC North Power Rankings after Week 4: Bengals are on the outside looking in
- Bengals still in the basement
- How does the rest of the division shape up?
By Glenn Adams
3) Pittsburgh Steelers
With their loss to the Houston Texans, the Pittsburgh Steelers fall to 2-2 on the season. They remain in third place in the AFC North Power Rankings for the second consecutive week.
The Texans handed Pittsburgh a decisive defeat, winning the game 30-6. Rookie quarterback CJ Stroud had an excellent performance. He threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns.
CJ Stroud put on a SHOW in an upset win against the Steelers today:
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) October 1, 2023
• 16/30 (53%)
• 306 passing yards
• 16 rushing yards
• 2 passing TD’s
• 111.2 passer rating
Stroud is now over 1,200 passing yards and 6 passing TD’s on the season.
And still hasn’t thrown a SINGLE… pic.twitter.com/llX7GK9l8W
The Texans did a great job of protecting their QB, allowing zero sacks versus a Pittsburgh team that is sixth in sacks and fifth in pressure percentage.
The Steelers had no answers for wide receiver Nico Collins, who had seven catches for 168 yards and one touchdown. The Texans also ran the ball well, rushing for 139 yards.
The Steelers have surrendered the most passing yards and touchdowns among the division rivals. They have given up the fourth-most rushing yards in the NFL. The Bengals have given up the second most in the league through four games.
The offense is also not pulling its weight. The rough and tough Steelers are 28th in rushing yards. They rank 29th in total yards gained this season. Their poor offensive output has led some of their fans and talking heads to call for offensive coordinator Matt Canada to find a new home.
Ryan Clark says get Matt Canada off the Pittsburgh Steelers on ESPN’s Get Up Show: “Stop bumping your head up against the Matthew Canada wall. Send him back wherever you want to send him. Send him back to Pitt. Hell, I'd even take him back at LSU if he could coach defense… pic.twitter.com/xQB0LsKUm7
— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) October 2, 2023
Pittsburgh’s point differential now sits at -38, the second-worst in the division, just in front of the Bengals.
While Bengals fans are sulking over Cincinnati’s performance, they can take some solace in knowing the Steelers are not doing much better, even though Pittsburgh is a game up in the standings.