After a 3-0 start, the Pittsburgh Steelers have now dropped each of their last two games following a 20-17 Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night that leaves more questions than answers.
The biggest question among them is at the quarterback position, where the team may have to decide if it wants to go from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson after the offense failed to score more than 20 points for the fourth time in five games.
That will depend upon the health of Wilson, of course. The veteran signal-caller has yet to play in a single game this season due to a calf injury but appears to be close after beginning to ramp up last week.
During the Sunday night broadcast, NBC's Melissa Stark reported that Wilson said he "should be ready to go next week," so there appears to at least be a chance he'll be fully healthy.
The final quarterback decision won't come until later in the week, per usual, but there's a good chance Pittsburgh will make the switch now that the wins have stopped rolling in.
Now, a look at where the Steelers land in different NFL power rankings following their second straight loss.
NFL Power Rankings Week 6: Pittsburgh Steelers
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: 9 (-2)
Iyer: "The Steelers will be a limited, run-heavy offense that's overly dependent on Justin Fields, so if their defense breaks down late because it gets worn down by the run, it will be difficult to recover in a lot of games. The Colts and Cowboys just did that to them back-to-back."
Taylor Wirth, NBC Sports: 10 (no change)
Wirth: "The Steelers are going to lead the league in gross, gritty games this season. Most of which should result in wins but sometimes your offense just needs to do more."
Brian Blewis, Pro Football Network: 15 (-2)
Blewis: "Pittsburgh’s seemingly elite defense was put to the test against the Cowboys in Week 5. The Steelers ultimately fell short, allowing Dak Prescott to throw for more passing yards (352) than any QB has had against Pittsburgh this season. Given the lackluster play of starting QB Justin Fields, the Steelers were severely limited by the team’s lack of offensive success on Sunday night. Dallas’ defense was able to keep Fields in check, despite missing both of the team’s starting edge rushers. On the bright side, T.J. Watt continued to add to his Hall of Fame resume in Week 5, as he became the 44th player in NFL history to officially record 100 career sacks. The Steelers will look to bounce back as they are set to travel across the country to visit the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6.
Matt Johnson, Sportsnaut: 11 (-5)
Johnson: "Against one of the worst defenses in football, with multiple Pro Bowl starters missing, Justin Fields went just 14-for-14, the Pittsburgh Steelers run game was abysmal and the defense fell apart in the fourth quarter. Fields just opened the door for Russell Wilson to take the job, but Pittsburgh’s inability to run the football well against bottom-5 run defenses in the last two weeks is a troubling sign. At the very least, it’s safety to say the 3-0 start was a complete fluke."
Peter Dewey, Sports Illustrated: 14 (no change)
Dewey: "Pittsburgh has now dropped two games in a row, and it seems like it is coming back to earth after a 3-0 start."
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