2018 NFL Power Rankings Week 2: Eagles barely hold off Falcons

11. Pittsburgh Steelers

Is tying the Cleveland Browns really that much better for the Pittsburgh Steelers than suffering a loss to start off the new season? Mike Tomlin and company knew this was going to be a difficult game in Week 1 as a result of the poor weather conditions along with the fact that Cleveland as a team was hungry for their first win since 2016, but these results were a tough pill to swallow.

While Ben Roethlisberger finishing the afternoon with four turnovers is a conversation for another day, the main topic of discussing over the next couple of days will be how effective James Conner (192 yards from the line of scrimmage with two touchdowns) was as the starter. As Le’Veon Bell continues to be absent over fighting for a new contract, the Steelers should feel confident enough in Conner stepping up in his absence since all that truly matters for the offense is they are productive in the backfield, no matter who it is lining up.

This may have only been one performance, but at least Conner’s big day works to Pittsburgh’s advantage when it comes to proving they would be just fine without having to chalk up all that money to make Bell happen. The game in general may have been sloppy, but it will be interesting to see if this game comes back to haunt the Steelers down the road in the AFC standings.