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SB Nation has just come out with the Week 5 edition of its 2011 NFL Power Rankings, and the Steelers have taken a pretty significant slide to the middle of the pack. They were ranked as the No. 4 team in the NFL last week, but after that ugly loss to the Texans and the potential injuries to Ben Roethlisberger and Rashard Mendenall, they have fallen all the way to No. 15.
OK, what's going on in Pittsburgh? I'll keep them here in the teens until Ben Roethlisberger and Rashard Mendenhall prove they're healthy.
What's going on is an offensive line that can't seem to protect Big Ben and a defensive front that looks a lot more vulnerable than we are used to seeing it. The Steelers have looked very much average this season, and they deserve to be ranked that low. But having said that, we all know how much talent is on that roster, and that we thought they could contend for a Super Bowl before the Season. None of that has changed. If the Steelers can get it together, they won't finish being ranked No. 15.