When push comes to shove, Mike Tomlin will usually know what his team needs.
After another bumbling offensive performance, the legendary Pittsburgh Steelers head coach finally cut the cord on former coordinator Matt Canada. Tomlin had no choice, even though his decision did come a little late. The Steelers offense was simply too talented to never throw the ball downfield and to make throwing the forward pass seem like an impossible challenge. It was obvious Canada’s coaching was a major culprit.
While the numbers might not say it outright, Tomlin was rewarded for his cutthroat thought process immediately. Against a stout Cincinnati Bengals defense, the Steelers amassed their first game of at least 400 yards of offense in almost four seasons — before Canada was the coordinator. All of a sudden, Kenny Pickett looked relatively comfortable throwing the ball downfield, a smash-and-dash duo of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren had ample running room, and Pat Freiermuth flat-out dominated the middle of the field. Who would’ve thought?
If this is the offense the Steelers could potentially bring to the AFC playoffs, everyone better watch out. Pittsburgh already owned a bona fide top 10 defense littered with a constellation of stars. If it finally has an offense to match, maybe, just maybe, the Black and Gold are about to enjoy their first successful postseason run since 2016. Complementary football reigns supreme, and no one understands that better than Tomlin’s Steelers.
As the 2023 NFL season gets set for the stretch run, here are For The Win‘s Week 13 power rankings featuring the Steelers and a postseason push that is starting to look beyond chaotic.
32
Carolina Panthers
Last week’s rank: 32
The Panthers throwing Frank Reich under the bus is an indicator that even they didn’t expect Bryce Young to be this awful. But he has been, and that might throw off an entire rebuild before it begins. The challenge is now for owner David Tepper to find a coaching staff that actually wants to build around Young — because I don’t think Reich wanted to — instead of starting over. Tepper will have a harder time achieving this lofty task than he believes. — Robert Zeglinski
31
New England Patriots
Last week’s rank: 31
That’s why you draft a kicker. So he can miss a game-tying 35-yard field goal and give you a vital loss against one of the few teams bad enough to challenge you for an elite draft position in 2024. Bill Belichick continues to play chess, not checkers. — Christian D’Andrea
30
Arizona Cardinals
Last week’s rank: 29
It’s difficult to say Kyler Murray is playing for his job when he has so little support and such a big contract. Sure, the Cardinals are careening toward a top-three draft pick, but Murray’s raw talent, even after knee surgery and an uneven performance in Week 12’s beatdown loss, make moving on from him a low-value proposition. That doesn’t mean Arizona won’t do it. It just means it would be stupid in 2024. — CD
29
Chicago Bears
Last week’s rank: 30
Turns out you *can’t* just spam screen passes for 58 straight minutes and expect to get away with it. Luke Getsy, this is the gameplan of someone trying to get fired so he can collect unemployment.
Luke Getsy gets paid American dollars for this pic.twitter.com/hDCIvGHTlj
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) November 28, 2023
The Bears won anyway and failed to inspire any kind of meaningful confidence or momentum along the way. Cool. — CD
28
New York Giants
Last week’s rank: 28
The Giants’ Italian venture at quarterback is seeing them reaping fantastic dividends. New York has now won back-to-back games with Tommy DeVito as its starter (though I won’t give him too much credit). Does this short run of success hurt Big Blue’s future at drafting a promising young quarterback? Probably! Does it make any less funny that Bill Belichick now has a loss to DeVito on his record? Absolutely not. — RZ
27
Tennessee Titans
Last week’s rank: 24
Will Levis wasn’t as efficient as Bryce Young on Sunday, but he came away with a win. A wholly uninspiring win. Opponents have been able to limit Levis’s connection to DeAndre Hopkins, and Tennessee lacks the talent elsewhere to prop him up. That’s the argument he can take with him into 2024, but the Titans will have an interesting decision to make in an offseason where Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield, and Gardner Minshew will all be free agents. — CD
26
Washington Commanders
Last week’s rank: 27
Jack Del Rio is probably the first coach firing this year that wasn’t an outright scapegoating. I’m surprised he lasted this long. Washington’s defense under Del Rio was an unmitigated disaster, particularly this season. Everyone from Justin Fields to Tommy DeVito lit up a unit that appeared to average at least 3-4 blown coverages a game. Ron Rivera’s job isn’t safe either, but he had to make a change here — at least for the sake of self-respect. — RZ
25
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last week’s rank: 22
Baker Mayfield’s early knee injury limited his mobility and provided a look into an alternate universe where a 46-year-old Tom Brady was taking snaps behind the Bucs’ unimpressive offensive line. The end result? Six sacks taken, including three on his final five dropbacks to end the game. Mayfield has done enough to earn a modest contract to return to Tampa (in large part because he’s helped push them out of prime quarterback draft position). Getting anything better than “surprisingly competent” play will rely on upgrading that blocking going forward. — CD
24
Las Vegas Raiders
Last week’s rank: 20
Antonio Pierce has done an admirable filling in for a professional doofus, but he can’t make up for Las Vegas’ talent deficit. Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams alone simply aren’t enough to help the top-heavy Raiders hang with heavyweights like the Dolphins and Chiefs. Maybe that will change in 2024, but for now, the Raiders are happily (?) mediocre. — RZ
23
New York Jets
Last week’s rank: 21
I feel so sorry for the poor souls who spent legitimate currency to watch Tim Boyle play football on Black Friday. At a certain point, even as fans, you’ve gotta cut your losses, folks. And no, Aaron Rodgers coming back from an Achilles tear (not happening) isn’t worth investing more energy in these miserable Jets. — RZ
22
Atlanta Falcons
Last week’s rank: 23
Bijan Robinson is finally getting the touches to justify his lofty draft status (46 carries and targets over the last two weeks). Drake London (11 targets in that span) and Kyle Pitts (seven) are not. Is that a failure on Arthur Smith’s part or Desmond Ridder’s? The answer is … yes. — CD
21
Los Angeles Rams
Last week’s rank: 26
Does Los Angeles have enough juice to make a surprising playoff run? Kyren Williams’ return adds an extra dimension to an offense suddenly loaded with chain-moving threats and Matthew Stafford finally looked like his 2021 self in Week 12 — albeit against a bad Cardinals defense. The New York Times’ playoff predictor gives the Rams a 37 percent chance of rallying to the playoffs, where they’d probably get steamrolled but, hey, that’s still pretty good for a team that started the season 3-6. — CD
20
Green Bay Packers
Last week’s rank: 25
OK, Jordan Love. We see you. For most of this season, Love resembled the worst Packers quarterback in 30 years. Heck, he barely looked like he belonged at this level of football. Then he ripped darts all over the field against a rabid Detroit defense, looking in complete command of a young Packers attack. The lesson here — should Love continue to shine as Green Bay aims for an NFC playoff spot — is that we should never doubt how this organization develops quarterbacks. — RZ
19
Cincinnati Bengals
Last week’s rank: 18
That’s two straight losses with Jake Browning playing meaningful snaps. Now a Monday night game against a potentially peaking Jacksonville Jaguars team awaits. Browning has been softly below average, occasionally teasing flashes of ability and then balancing those with misreads and bad throws. Cincinnati still has slim playoff hopes, but it’s clear they’ll come down to Lou Anarumo’s defense working a few low-key miracles. — CD
18
Minnesota Vikings
Last week’s rank: 14
They lost to the Bears. I’m not sure what it means that Joshua Dobbs got considerably worse after learning the team’s playbook, yet here we are. — CD
17
New Orleans Saints
Last week’s rank: 15
The Saints flirted with relevancy and then they flew way too close to the sun. It happens. New Orleans has lost two straight games, including an all-important battle for first place in the NFC South in Atlanta. On a totally unrelated note: Derek Carr — the $100 million man — has thrown two touchdown passes in the last three weeks. Do with that information what you will. — RZ
16
Los Angeles Chargers
Last week’s rank: 19
Justin Herbert’s 70.1 QBR is the highest mark of his career. His 0.132 expected points added (EPA) per play ranks ninth among all starting quarterbacks. The Chargers are 4-7. Brandon Staley’s gotta go. — CD
15
Cleveland Browns
Last week’s rank: 13
Cleveland’s quarterback position is cursed, but it’s a pox the Browns put on themselves by mortgaging their future for a player with more than 20 accusations of sexual misconduct and what the NFL would later describe as “predatory behavior” and then giving him a historic, fully guaranteed $230 million contract extension before he could even play a single uninspired down for the franchise. Anyway, the defense remains great. Let’s hope Myles Garrett’s shoulder is OK. — CD
14
Indianapolis Colts
Last week’s rank: 17
The Colts lost their starting quarterback in early October and have been playing with house money ever since. Indy has won three straight games, charging back into the AFC postseason race on the strength of a top-10 offense that understands feeding the rock to Jonathan Taylor is never a bad idea. If this team can sneak into the playoffs with Gardner Minshew (no offense), Shane Steichen is a coaching master who deserves this season’s Coach of the Year honors and then some. — RZ
13
Seattle Seahawks
Last week’s rank: 10
Never underestimate Pete Carroll’s capacity to play with fire. With a Thanksgiving blowout loss to rival San Francisco, Seattle has now lost three of its last four games, and in embarrassing fashion. A streaky Geno Smith might be to blame, but so is a veteran defense providing little to no resistance when it matters most. What’s most alarming is Bobby Wagner, who appears to finally have declined from the All-Pro caliber play he’s provided for most of his career. If Wagner’s decline is set in stone, these Seahawks should probably start reserving tee times for January. — RZ
12
Pittsburgh Steelers
Last week’s rank: 16
The first game of the post-Matt Canada offense didn’t lead to more points, but it did lead to more production. The Steelers’ five drives of 50-plus yards were more than they’d had the previous two weeks combined (four). Kenny Pickett still bails out on plays too early and throws entirely too many passes to blank spots on the field. But his ability to come alive in the fourth quarter is vital to this team’s success and is, frankly, stunning to watch. — CD
11
Houston Texans
Last week’s rank: 9
C.J. Stroud’s magic can’t cover the warts of a Texans defense that sits near the bottom third of most relevant metrics. As it stands, the Texans sit just outside the AFC playoff picture. Whether they crash the Big Dance probably hinges on whether someone in that horrific secondary (Jalen Pitre? Derek Stingley Jr.?) can start making more plays on the ball. — RZ
10
Denver Broncos
Last week’s rank: 11
That’s not just a five-game winning streak. That’s a five-game winning streak over some pretty good teams. The Broncos still seem poised to break the hearts of any fan in Denver willing to truly invest in them, but this has been a stunning turnaround from 1-5 and into the thick of the playoff race. Russell Wilson is keeping plays alive long enough for his receiving corps to create highlight-reel touchdowns and is being rewarded for his persistence. As a result, this grumpy Sean Payton team is pretty damn fun to watch. — CD
9
Buffalo Bills
Last week’s rank: 12
The Bills have the league’s fourth-best scoring differential and are currently set to miss the playoffs. They are the opposite of the 2022 Minnesota Vikings. — CD
8
Jacksonville Jaguars
Last week’s rank: 8
The Jaguars are the worst-best 8-3 team I’ve ever seen. On the one hand, they’re 16th in offensive DVOA, as a somewhat disappointing season from Trevor Lawrence pervades. On the other hand, this remains a very gifted squad that might still be growing and learning how to win on the fly. Jacksonville feels like a firm pretender, but that could certainly change if Lawrence takes a consistent step forward before the winter. — RZ
7
Detroit Lions
Last week’s rank: 5
Jared Goff has six turnovers in his last two games and is giving the world a reason to doubt the Lions. I understand Dan Campbell feeds off negativity, but I’m certain that’s the kind of hardship he’d like to avoid. Green Bay deftly took Aidan Hutchinson out of the game with plays away from the game-changing edge rusher, allowing Jordan Love to thrive while potentially creating the blueprint for others to follow in the home stretch of 2023. — CD
6
Miami Dolphins
Last week’s rank: 7
Losing Jaelan Phillips hurts a Super Bowl push, but Miami remains in line for its first AFC East division title since the halcyon days of Ronnie Brown and Anthony Fasano. An end-season schedule features three matchups against competent teams (the Ravens, Bills, Cowboys), but any losses might not matter by then. Congratulations, Mike McDaniel. You have revitalized South Beach football. For real. — RZ
5
Dallas Cowboys
Last week’s rank: 6
There’s no doubting Dallas’ ability to take care of overmatched opponents. Over the last three weeks, the Cowboys have dispatched the Giants, Panthers, and Commanders by an average score of 42 to 12. Of course, this team is also 0-2 against teams with winning records and is still coached by Mike McCarthy, so … heads up on that. — CD
4
Kansas City Chiefs
Last week’s rank: 4
Kansas City evidently took furious notes from an uninspired loss to start Thanksgiving week. Rather than have everyone win downfield, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes funneled their offense through Rashee Rice, a physical YAC monster the Raiders couldn’t contain. If the Chiefs continue making a concerted effort to get Rice the ball in space, the reigning Super Bowl champions will be hard to topple over the next two months. — RZ
3
San Francisco 49ers
Last week’s rank: 3
The Niners are no longer winless when Brock Purdy throws an interception but have also won their last three games by an aggregate score of 92-30, which is even better. That’s enough to instill them as road favorites against a 10-1 Philadelphia Eagles team, which makes no sense if you only look at records but makes perfect sense if you’ve been watching the games recently. Adding Chase Young to the pass-rushing mix looks like another massive John Lynch in-season trade win. — CD
2
Baltimore Ravens
Last week’s rank: 2
Mark Andrews was clearly missed in the passing game, but that didn’t stop the Ravens from grinding the Chargers into a fine paste on Sunday night. Baltimore ran for nearly 200 yards as a team and averaged 5.6 yards per carry, seemingly without breaking a sweat. Meanwhile, the L.A. offense crossed midfield just four times in 11 possessions against a hornet’s nest of a Ravens defense. Regardless of who it has available, Baltimore will take your lunch money and laugh about it. — RZ
1
Philadelphia Eagles
Last week’s rank: 1
You can’t argue with the record, even if you *can* argue with the technique. The Eagles’ comeback tendencies are wonderful torture for their own fans and/or Tony Romo, but a 6-1 record in one-possession games isn’t sustainable. Just look at last year’s close game savants, the Minnesota Vikings. Fortunately, there’s a lot more talent on this roster than 2022 Minnesota. The question is whether the team’s playcalling can wring the most out of it in order to return to the Super Bowl. — CD
