With two straight victories, the Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be rounding into form. Most recently, they dispatched the Jacksonville Jaguars, 17-13, at Heinz Field to move to 4-2. Rashard Mendenhall ran for 146 yards and a touchdown, while the defense limited the Jaguars to 209 yards of total offense. It's another step forward for the defending AFC champions.
So, what'd Pete Prisco have to say about Pittsburgh's most recent triumph? "They sleep-walked through the second half against the Jaguars, but held on for dear life, the CBSSports.com scribe writes in his latest NFL power rankings. "The pass rush is coming to life again." As a result, Prisco moved the Steelers to No. 7, up three places from last week.
Indeed, the Steelers raced to a 17-3 lead after one half of play, only to watch as Jacksonville added 10 points to its total in the final 30 minutes. But the pass rush did work nicely, sacking Jags quarterback Blaine Gabbert five times for 33 yards lost. Due to the Steelers' tight defense, the rookie completed 12-of-23 passes for a mere 76 yards.
Pittsburgh still ranks behind the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North, as well as in the power rankings. Prisco places Baltimore at No. 3. Elsewhere in the division, the Cincinnati Bengals kept the Indianapolis Colts winless, and thus moved up one spot, to No. 17. Finally, the Cleveland Browns held at No. 23 despite losing to the Oakland Raiders.