NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Russell Wilson’s Steelers redemption is an unexpected, but welcome, surprise

It wasn't a long time ago that Russell Wilson was considered a national laughingstock. Once considered the crown jewel of a blockbuster Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks trade, Wilson was a vacuous shell of himself in the Mile High City, a man whose occasionally corny “charm” wears thin when his play on the football field is inept. And with the future Hall of Fame quarterback already in his mid-30s, it would’ve been easy to assume that his days as an effective starting quarterback were over.

Enter Mike Tomlin’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

With a fresh change of scenery, Wilson has been exactly what a once-fledgling contender like Pittsburgh ordered. And vice versa. Ever since he took over for Justin Fields at midseason, Wilson has been a marvel for someone who looked washed-up over the last two years. He’s not exactly an efficiency machine, and he still leaves plays on the field. But his experience has held the Pittsburgh offense together during a four-game winning streak, and by golly, he can still throw a perfect, beautiful moonball. Now, the 7-2 Steelers are a serious heavyweight in the AFC, and Wilson might have one more shot at another Super Bowl ring.

That’s right, folks. The Russell Wilson Redemption Tour came about unexpectedly, but it’s remarkable and delightful to see, nonetheless.

Wilson and the Steelers are a big talking point in For The Win’s Week 11 NFL Power Rankings. Let’s see where Pittsburgh and the rest of the league stands as we charge headfirst into mid-November.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars

Last week's rank: 28

Trevor Lawrence might be out for the season with a shoulder injury. Mac Jones to the resc ... (the end of this sentence was, unfortunately, intercepted). -- Robert Zeglinski

31. Tennessee Titans

Last week's rank: 30

I kid you not. I really do sometimes forget that the Titans exist. When you're as consistently bad as they are, it's easy to memory-hole the NFL's answer to the default create-a-franchise in Madden. I can't believe this team didn't sell anything notable to build for the future at the trade deadline. -- RZ

30. Las Vegas Raiders

Last week's rank: 31

Antonio Pierce looked like the right man for the job, but his motivating presence still can't overcome his technical shortcomings. Maybe that's something he can develop over time -- especially once he has a reasonable quarterback. But he's also playing for a historically impatient franchise, so we may not get the chance to see what he's actually capable of. -- Christian D'Andrea

29. Carolina Panthers

Last week's rank: 29

Bryce Young, yes, that very same Bryce Young, is enjoying the first winning streak of his career. Please don't look up how that happened. Put your head in the sand. It's better that way. -- RZ

28. New York Giants

Last week's rank: 24

The Giants lost to the Panthers. The PANTHERS. Do you know how hard that is? Do you know how easy Carolina makes it for most opponents? I actually think Brian Daboll remains a good coach, but overcoming the Daniel Jones of it all and still keeping his job at the end of the year might be too tall of a task. -- RZ

27. New England Patriots

Last week's rank: 32

Drake Maye is a flawed young quarterback, but he has traits that suggest he's much better suited for a franchise cornerstone role than Mac Jones ever was. His mobility and downfield accuracy are both major assets. Time will tell if Jerod Mayo can maximize them -- and whether New England can find the blocking and receiving help he needs to fulfill his All-Pro promise. -- CD

26. New Orleans Saints

Last week's rank: 27

Winning after firing your head coach isn't uncommon -- teams' winning percentages spike the Sunday after axing their sideline leader. Sustaining that momentum is the tough part and ultimately could be detrimental to New Orleans' rebuild if Darren Rizzi motivates his team out of a top-five draft pick. -- CD

25. Cleveland Browns

Last week's rank: 26

Not only did the Browns tether themselves to the injured Deshaun Watson, who once faced more than 20 allegations of sexual misconduct in what the NFL would later characterize as "predatory behavior," but their inept decision coincided at a time when all three of their AFC North rivals might be stronger than ever. I'm surprised anyone who still calls themselves a Browns fan somehow cares about this moribund franchise. -- RZ

24. Chicago Bears

Last week's rank: 19

Matt Eberflus parlayed the world's worst Hail Mary defense into a bleak three-game losing streak and an apathetic locker room. Every time I think the Bears couldn't possibly hire a bigger doofus to be their head coach, they find a way to surprise me. -- RZ

23. New York Jets

Last week's rank: 23

The Jets are 3-7. They have one game left against a team with a current winning record on their schedule. Does anyone with any logic whatsoever have any faith they'll win more than, say, two of them? -- RZ

22. Indianapolis Colts

Last week's rank: 25

Starting Joe Flacco was supposed to set a reasonable floor and keep the Colts in the playoff hunt. Instead, he's thrown twice as many interceptions (four) as touchdowns and Indianapolis is 0-2 since his promotion. It feels like as good a time as ever to see if Anthony Richardson can figure things out. -- CD

21. Dallas Cowboys

Last week's rank: 21

Jerry Jones insists the glaring sunlight isn't a problem at the Cowboys' home stadium. Even if it isn't, he knows there are bigger fish to fry as his expensive roster goes into the tank amid a disappointing season. When in doubt, if you're someone sitting in Jones' unenviable position, rant about criticism that doesn't matter. -- RZ

20. Miami Dolphins

Last week's rank: 21

Tyreek Hill's return may have been the biggest Miami storyline headed into Monday night, but it was the Dolphins' bend-don't-break defense that kept the Los Angeles Rams out of the end zone and snapped a three-game losing streak. Miami's playoff hopes are still alive at 3-6, even if Tua Tagovailoa's performance in LA wasn't entirely inspiring. -- CD

19. Seattle Seahawks

Last week's rank: 18

The bye week couldn't have come at a better time for everyone's favorite wacky team from the Pacific Northwest. Seattle has lost five of its last six games in convincing fashion. If this season is still heading anywhere encouraging, it'll be incumbent on a more reliable Geno Smith and Mike Macdonald's porous defense to find its footing again. Unfortunately, the margin for error might be too thin now. -- RZ

18. Denver Broncos

Last week's rank: 20

The defense remains great. The offense needs help. Bo Nix's downfield passing remains a work in progress, even after his solid performance vs. the Chiefs. Getting him help -- and punching up an often toothless running game to keep safeties from ruining his best-laid plans -- has to be the Broncos' priority this offseason. -- CD

17. Cincinnati Bengals

Last week's rank: 16

Cincinnati is 4-6. A spritely 4-6, but 4-6 nonetheless. That means the Bengals probably need at least a 5-1 finish to make it back to the playoffs. A defense that's given up 96 points over the last three weeks won't get them there. -- CD

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Last week's rank: 12

Baker Mayfield fending off Nick Bosa with one hand to complete a must-have fourth-down pass was rad. His one-for-five performance on throws that traveled at least 10 yards downfield was not. Tampa Bay's passing offense has been predictably inefficient without its top two wideouts, and now the Bucs' NFC South championship streak is in serious jeopardy. -- CD

15. Los Angeles Rams

Last week's rank: 15

The Rams' run defense came to play Monday night, holding the Dolphins to 3.2 yards per carry on a night where Tua Tagovailoa threw for only 155 yards after his opening drive. But Matthew Stafford couldn't maximize a lineup with a healthy Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back together and Los Angeles lost a key came in the NFC West race. -- CD

14. Arizona Cardinals

Last week's rank: 17

Everything is humming right now with a Cardinals team that hasn't lost since mid-October. The most significant development in Arizona's success is the return of a star-caliber Kyler Murray. Against a still-solid Jets defense on Sunday, Murray turned in nearly 300 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns with just two incompletions. He was basically unstoppable. If this is the Murray that Arizona will get moving forward, it might be time to start taking the Cardinals seriously as an NFC power. -- RZ

13. Los Angeles Chargers

Last week's rank: 14

Is Justin Herbert the league's preeminent mobile quarterback? Based on how many Titans he made miss in Week 10, I'm saying ... well, still no, but good god, it's scary to think how many dimensions his game has (and how much of his early prime the Chargers had wasted with bad coaching). Now he's got an undermanned, rebuilding team in the playoff hunt while playing some of the best football of his career. -- CD

12. Philadelphia Eagles

Last week's rank: 13

The Eagles converted just four third downs on Sunday. They averaged a meager 5.4 yards per play and couldn't stop racking up nonsense penalties. They still won by 28 points. Just a few more wins against unimpressive teams (Philly has three, maybe four left on the schedule), and Howie Roseman can talk himself into making no changes for a likely playoff squad. Yay! -- RZ

11. San Francisco 49ers

Last week's rank: 11

San Francisco's suddenly shaky special teams could give the Niners a new and exciting way to lose a heartbreaking playoff game this winter. Kyle Shanahan probably would have liked Christian McCaffrey to average more than 3.0 yards per carry in his 2024 debut. Fortunately, the rest of the teams on the schedule don't have Vita Vea up front. -- CD

10. Houston Texans

Last week's rank: 8

C.J. Stroud really misses Nico Collins. Stroud has had a passer rating below 70 in three of five games since the star receiver last played in Week 5. This Houston offense does have fundamental issues. The Texans are in line for another AFC South division title, but only by default in a murderer's row of nobodies. -- RZ

9. Washington Commanders

Last week's rank: 6

Jayden Daniels finally had his slip-up game, and he still dotted it with a handful of gorgeous throws to Terry McLaurin. Still, his lack of a support network was a glaring flaw against Pittsburgh. Once the Steelers stymied him, Washington had little recourse when it came to protecting a lead. -- CD

8. Atlanta Falcons

Last week's rank: 5

Weird things happen in rivalry games. They get even weirder when you're facing a team that just fired its head coach on the road. That doesn't change the fact we saw some vintage Kirk Cousins in the clutch -- the guy who spent the past six years throwing short of the sticks on third and fourth down entirely too often as a Minnesota Viking. -- CD

7. Green Bay Packers

Last week's rank: 7

The Packers entered their bye week licking their wounds after a thorough butt-whooping at the hands of the Detroit Lions. The reward for their patience on the other side of it is a crumbling Bears team with a foolish coach Matt LaFleur has been known to scheme circles around. The more things change, the more they stay the same. -- RZ

6. Minnesota Vikings

Last week's rank: 10

Sam Darnold has thrown five interceptions in his last two games, and the Vikings haven't scored more than 21 points in three weeks. They remain in perfect pole position for an NFC playoff spot anyway because they still take care of business against subpar teams. I wouldn't necessarily expect a deep postseason run from Kevin O'Connell's team, but getting into the dance is commendable in itself. -- RZ

5. Pittsburgh Steelers

Last week's rank: 9

Russell Wilson and George Pickens are the perfect sideline combination thanks to Wilson's ability to throw a football to the moon and Pickens's ability to contort his body and catch it upon reentering our atmosphere. That duo has to keep igniting. The last eight games of 2024 feature six divisional matchups and a game each against each participant in Super Bowl 57 (Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs). -- CD

4. Buffalo Bills

Last week's rank: 4

The Bills have lost one game since early October. Sure, their five-game winning streak comes against teams with a combined record of 15-31, but that's still nothing to sneeze at. However, the competition finally takes a step up this week as they host the hated and rival Chiefs. We're about to learn whether this recent Buffalo success is a mirage or not. -- RZ

3. Baltimore Ravens

Last week's rank: 3

Diontae Johnson has yet to make an impact. The defense still stinks. But Lamar Jackson is playing at an MVP level and so is Derrick Henry. The Ravens have scored at least 30 points in six of their last seven games. Even if this team is destined for playoff failure, it will be an extremely fun departure. -- CD

2. Detroit Lions

Last week's rank: 2

Jared Goff threw five picks in a game the Lions were losing by 16 points at the end of the first half. They won anyway because they are a picture of their coach, Dan Campbell: gritty, tough, and can win even when they aren't at their best. At this point, it's hard to argue Detroit isn't the NFC's team of destiny. -- RZ

1. Kansas City Chiefs

Last week's rank: 1

Kansas City started slowly in a rivalry game against the Broncos and was on the ropes against Bo Nix. Then, one blocked field goal later, all was well, and 9-0 was a reality. The Chiefs don't feel like the juggernaut their record suggests, but you can't argue with the results. -- CD

This article originally appeared on For The Win: NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Russell Wilson’s Steelers redemption is an unexpected, but welcome, surprise