This past Sunday wasn’t the best showing for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Philadelphia Eagles proved to be a problem for the Steelers in Week 15, beating them 27-13 and finishing the game with a time 21-play, 88-yard drive that ate up 10:29 of the fourth quarter. As a result of barely touching the ball in the final quarter, Pittsburgh’s offense had their worst offensive performance of the year — totaling just 163 yards of offense.
ESPN released their latest power rankings for Week 16, where the Steelers took a dive from last week’s No. 6 spot to No. 7 — just one spot ahead of their rival Baltimore Ravens.
In highlighting every team’s biggest improvement this season, ESPN’s Brooke Pryor highlighted that passing offense — led by Russell Wilson.
“It’s a little awkward to identify the Steelers’ passing offense as the biggest area of improvement coming off a game in which quarterback Russell Wilson had a season-low 128 passing yards,” Pryor wrote. “However, the Steelers’ passing game — especially deep, explosive throws — has improved since he took the starting job from Justin Fields in Week 7. With Wilson as the signal-caller, the Steelers are averaging 238.5 passing yards per game, compared to 166.8 in the six games with Fields at quarterback.”
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A big reason for the Steelers’ shortcomings in the game against the Eagles was the continued absence of top wide receiver George Pickens — who missed his second game in a row. With an upcoming battle with the Ravens, Pickens can hopefully return to practice and eventually game action to help his team.
The Steelers will face Baltimore at 4:30 p.m. EST on Saturday.
More NFL: Here’s Where ESPN Projects Steelers To Finish In AFC Standings
Featured image via Eric Hartline/Imagn Images