The Pittsburgh Steelers returned to form on Sunday when they blasted the Tennessee Titans, 38-17, in their best offensive performance of the 2011 season. The 21-point win brought them slightly closer to the idle Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North, but wasn't enough to persuade FOX Sports analyst and former Ravens coach Brian Billick to move them up in his NFL power rankings. They remain at No. 9. Writes Billick:
The Steelers must have been tired of hearing just how old and slow they are. Even without injured LB James Harrison, they completely dominated the Titans on Sunday. On offense, they finally got the running game going like we are accustomed to seeing, albeit from no-name Jonathan Dwyer.
Dwyer, the second-year man from Georgia Tech, made his 2011 debut for the Steelers against the Titans and tallied 107 yards on 11 carries; prior to the game, he had just nine career carries for 28 yards. It was a breakout game for him, as well as for Pittsburgh's offense as a whole.
It's curious, then, that the Steelers' season-best points total, and the fact that they ended a three-game win streak, wasn't enough for Billick to nudge them up even just one spot.