Steelers move up in week nine NFL power rankings

After their stunning win over the Indianapolis Colts, the Pittsburgh Steelers moved up one spot – from 15th to 14th overall – in Week Nine – per SBNation’s NFL Power Rankings.  Some feel it’s a bit of a snub considering the way Pittsburgh dealt with the Colts (who were ranked eighth in week 8).

The Steelers had been receiving mid-pack ratings ahead of that win and by adding another one against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, perhaps they will been seen in a much more favorable light.

A team that vaults to 6-3 on the season should see an appropriate rise in ranking, yet the NFL has been such a mixed bag in regards to teams playing consistently from week to week, it’s hard to determine if power rankings are as powerful as many have considered them to be in the past.

Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Bryant have given performances week to week that helped elevate the overall rating of the team. With rookie wide receiver Martavis Bryant’s last two games, one would think that setting franchise records and even moving on league records would afford the Steelers a higher appraisal.

Throwing away the power-ranking system for the moment – the Steelers are making pretty loud statements in the llast couple of weeks – perhaps individual performances are becoming more important than team performances in a fantasy-driven sports world today.  Cortez Allen’s play certainly would be an indicator of a minus, but it isn’t clear that is factored into the system or not.

As one who has never been one to give much credence to such ranking systems due to inconsistency between the different groups that utilize them, I spend more time focused on positives versus negatives of overall team performance from week to week.  Perhaps that is why I have never (admittedly) been particularly good at setting up a fantasy roster from week to week. I have found rankings to be more favorable for week to week picks (team vs team).

Regardless, it is nice to see that the Steelers are improving as a team and that several individual players on the roster have made critical contributions that secured wins back-to-back in weeks seven and eight.