NFL Power Rankings heading into 2018’s fourth quarter

#8 Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4-1)

Los Angeles Chargers v Pittsburgh Steelers

Those were two bad losses for the Steelers these last two weeks. At Mile High, they picked up eight more first downs outgained the Broncos by over 200 yards, but four inopportune turnovers, including two inside Denver’s two-yard line cost them that game. And now at home versus the Chargers, where I already mentioned that ridiculous record when leading by at 14+ points, they kind of imploded with bad penalties and other silly mistakes. I don’t feel that much worse about Pittsburgh than I did two weeks ago, especially since that loss to the Broncos was really fluky, but they can pretty much forget a first round bye now and when they have to travel to Kansas City or New England, I just don’t trust them.

Antonio Brown finally exploded on Sunday, Juju Schmith-Schuster was over 1000 yards after last week already, James Conner ran strong again versus the Chargers before he was forced to exit the game and even though Vance McDonald’s numbers don’t jump off the screen, his ability to catch simple hook and out-routes and then drag defenders for a couple of yards to pick up first downs is a very valuable asset. I’m sick of Big Ben’s post-game comments and diva attitude, but he is still one of the best quarterbacks of that generation. The offensive line might be the best in the league and you saw that when the Chargers couldn’t even touch Ben in the first half. However, Roethlisberger already leads the league in pass attempts and they basically have a two-to-one ratio in terms of pass-to-run.

That’s not a recipe to win in December and January. The Steelers defense has improved immensely from the start of the season, but their guys in the secondary still can’t match up with the better-receiving groups in the league. I already mentioned how Keenan Allen ran circles around Joe Haden on Sunday and none of their cover-guys have really gotten the job done. I remember early on in the season how Patrick Mahomes shredded them for six touchdowns and even though their pass rush has really picked up since then, now leading the league with 41 sacks, I don’t think they could keep that KC offense under 30 points.

They turn the ball over too much with Ben at the forefront through his comments about “not caring about interceptions), they don’t take the ball away, giving them a minus-eight in the turnover department, they commit unnecessary penalties and there is always drama in Pittsburgh. Their offense can go toe-to-toe with just about anybody and the defense is definitely not what they were at the beginning of the season, but there’s a chance the Steelers don’t even win the division with Baltimore just half a game behind them.

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#9 Dallas Cowboys (7-5)

New Orleans Saints v Dallas Cowboys

This Cowboys defense is for real. They are deep on the defensive line with Demarcus Lawrence leading the charge, they have two incredible young linebackers, who have a lot of size and can flat out run and they have long, physical corners on the perimeter. Dallas doesn’t try to fool anybody with creative coverages or exotic blitz-packages.

They come out in a single-high safety alignment for the majority of their snaps, rush their four guys up front and play cover-three or man behind it. They clearly were in the heads of those Saints offensive players last Thursday night. Chidobe Awuzie and Byron Jones basically took Michael Thomas out of the game, they pushed the interior of the offensive line backward which is tough for Drew Brees to deal with at around six feet and their linebackers Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith made life hell for those Saints running backs inside as well as on the edges.

That defense has been balling out for pretty much the entire season, surrendering more than 20 points just four times all season, but they need that offense to play complementary football. The Cowboys are definitely limited offensively with Dak Prescott and the passing attack. Yet, Since they acquired Amari Cooper as that go-to guy, their number two and three receivers have had a much easier time creating separation from those lesser defensive backs.

With that being said, this offense still runs through Zeke and the rushing attack. Dallas wants to control the clock by letting their workhorse touch the ball 25-30 times a game and rest their defense in the process. Having Cooper on the outside forces defenses to take a defender further away from the box and create equal numbers once again, plus when they run bootlegs off that inside zone action, he is an excellent target on those comeback routes to go with crossers on different levels, where you create easy high-to-low reads for Prescott.

The third-year quarterback has also come through with huge third down runs in recent weeks to decide games, but his ball security inside the pocket with just one hand on it has been dreadful. Dallas clearly has to win a certain way – by controlling the flow of the game with their ground game and forcing you to defeat a lot of tight man-to-man coverage It’s obvious that they are playing with a completely different energy than they did at the start of the season and they have now won three straight, giving a full game advantage in the NFC East, as they are waiting for the Eagles to come to town, who have a way more difficult road ahead.