The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered their first defeat of the 2024 campaign on Sunday, losing to the Indianapolis Colts, 27-24, at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Steelers had a lot to overcome just to make the score that close. Not only did they fall behind 17-0, but Pittsburgh also turned the ball over twice, the defense was bad, and the Steelers were victims of at least one terrible penalty called by officials that led to points for Indy.
Even with all that, Pittsburgh had a chance to tie the game on its last offensive series, but ultimately fell short.
Looking ahead to Week 5, the Steelers may have a decision to make at quarterback with Russell Wilson reportedly set to be fully healthy. But chances are Pittsburgh will stick with Fields after he had his best performance of 2024, which was also the offense's best showing of the season.
Now, a look at where the Steelers land in the NFL Power Rankings of experts going into Week 5.
NFL Power Rankings Week 5: Pittsburgh Steelers
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: 7 (-5)
Iyer: "The Steelers slow-played their offense a bit with Justin Fields and ran out of time to score enough to take down the Colts after an off afternoon for T.J. Watt and the defense. They can't have another one of those with the Cowboys at home next."
Taylor Wirth, Yahoo Sports: 10 (no change)
Wirth: "Again, this offense is just so incredibly meh and when the defense is letting an almost 40-year-old Flacco cook, you might be in trouble."
Walter Cherepinsky, Walter Football: 12 (-1)
Cherepinsky: "Justin Fields and George Pickens sabotaged a potential 4-0 start with some rare mistakes. Pittsburgh’s defense didn’t play well either. It’s safe to say that the Steelers were just flat in a bad spot."
Matt Johnson, Sportsnaut: 12 (-5)
Johnson: "Not quite what we were expecting to see from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Justin Fields set season-highs in passing yards (213) and QB rating (104.0), but George Pickens’ lost fumble at the 5-yard line wiped out some critical points. It’s a bit concerning to see the ease with which Joe Flacco picked apart Pittsburgh’s secondary, which played a huge role in the Colts going 8-for-15 on third-down attempts. It’s certainly a bad loss, but the Steelers have to feel pretty good about Fields so far, especially with a 3-1 record heading into October."
