Drive10.6.26Hr2: Power Rankings

0:03 You're tuned to The Drive on your 24-7 home of the black and gold.

0:07 Steelers Nation Radio.

0:28 Good evening, Steelers Nation. How we doing? Well, that's good. Us too. It is hour number two of The Drive here on your 24-7 home of the black and gold. It is a Tuesday, and that means some things around here, namely that it's Power Rankings Day, Matt Williamson.

0:44 Yeah.

0:45 This would be, you could say this every Tuesday, because I used to be this person. I've done Power Ranks many times, and I don't miss doing them, but they are kind of a good exercise.

0:55 Yeah.

0:55 And how I do it, if anyone wants to do it at home, like, What I do is I take every division, I rank them one by four. Just so I break them all into sub stacks, you know? And then I go across all the ones. Okay, now that's eight teams I can pick from. Who's number one out of that group, you know? And then just whoever's at the top. And then you do the first couple at the top, and then I go from the bottom. The middle's hard.

1:16 I was going to say.

1:17 The top and the bottom are hard.

1:18 The bottom... 8, 9, 10 probably isn't too difficult. The top 8, 9, 10 isn't too difficult. You've got to decide what order you're putting them in, but you know the teams.

1:27 All these 2-2 teams, and boy, they looked good this week, they looked bad last week, and now they're a backup quarterback. So it gets sticky.

1:35 It gets easier and easier every week, I think, to do power rankings.

1:38 Yeah, I would say so, too.

1:39 As the teams separate a little bit more.

1:40 Yes.

1:42 As always, we pull these from NFL.com. I know everyone does power rankings and they're all fine, but we just have a longstanding tradition of using NFL.com as the reference point. Number 32, the caboose, the Tennessee Titans.

1:57 Oh, I think Miami is still last.

2:00 What if I told you Miami is not 31 either?

2:04 I mean, they kind of played the Vikings tough.

2:07 They're 29, the Miami Dolphins.

2:09 Oh, I don't know about that.

2:10 But it's all 0-4 teams here at the bottom of the barrel.

2:13 I get it.

2:13 Titans at 32.

2:15 And Titans shown a little bit of life against Baltimore. I thought it was Ward and Tate's best game. I mean, I'm reaching for straws. Don't get me wrong. They're season shot, too. But Miami would still be an easy last one for me.

2:30 So I was thinking about this. With the Titans. Let me pull this up real quick just to double check.

2:35 Yeah.

2:35 This is their last year at Nissan Stadium.

2:37 Oh, is it?

2:38 Before they move into their new palatious billion dollar... It is. The Steelers game there on January 3rd is the last game ever at Nissan Stadium.

2:49 That's probably not great for Pittsburgh. You don't want to be a part of any of those things.

2:52 So that's what I was.

2:53 I mean, it didn't bother Atlanta last night.

2:54 That's what I was thinking originally. But Matt, we know it's not the most rabid fan base.

2:59 No.

3:00 It's a college sports... town is what it is. It's the Vols and it's Vanderbilt.

3:04 They probably never should have left Houston, right?

3:06 They probably never should have left Houston. And Nashville's a great city, and when they win, they get behind them big time. We've seen that with the Titans in the past. We saw that. Man, for a couple years there, the Nashville Predators had one of the great atmospheres in all of sports when the Preds were going to the Cup and playing really well. But it's a lot of transplants that live there.

3:24 Yeah, that makes sense.

3:26 Great town.

3:27 Let's move there.

3:27 And a lot of transplants from Alabama and Louisiana and Mississippi and places where college sports are much bigger.

3:35 Than SEC stuff. Yes.

3:36 Yeah.

3:37 Like it being in Nashville on college football Saturdays or for college basketball stuff is awesome because there's Auburn and Alabama and Tennessee and Vanderbilt and Kentucky, you know, Georgia. I mean, Atlanta's not too far away. Um, where I'm going with all this is if the Titans are three and 13 at that point, um, Could their last ever game be 80% Steelers fans and 10% empty?

4:05 Yeah, I think you're 100% right.

4:07 Which would be, and I'm not, I don't really care at all, but that'd be a sad way to end a stadium and for them to go out.

4:13 It is.

4:14 So we were talking about this today, too, because we kind of just did some teams that it's time to bury. And we kind of could bury the Titans week one in Miami. There's a couple of them that you kind of knew had never had a chance.

4:25 For sure.

4:26 And they're top of that list. But we know ownership can be less than patient. And they fired a coach, a first-time coach, halfway through the season. Like, where could they be? I mean, I'm just thinking, like, big picture with this team. Could they be all in the hot seat again?

4:45 Maybe.

4:45 Could they be picking first or second overall? Shopping Cam Ward to a team like the Steelers? You know what I mean? Like, there's a lot of paths this could go. I mean, I'm assuming they're going to pick very early in the draft.

4:56 Yes.

4:57 With or without this quarterback or coach.

4:59 And if you're Tennessee, you want Cam Ward to start looking the part down the stretch because then you either draft Jeremiah.

5:06 Smith or you trade that pick and move back.

5:09 And you pay a ton of capital.

5:10 That should be their whole goal. And last week was okay. Ward's getting a little better, baby-stepping, and Tate had like nine catches. Like, okay, these are our foundation guys.

5:20 What you don't want to be doing is having the quarterback conversation come February.

5:24 No.

5:24 No.

5:24 31 on the list, Matt, is the L.A. Chargers.

5:28 They're terrible. Terrible. They really are. And, I mean, they finished that game without Alt, Slater, McConkie, Derwin. They're talking about trading Khalil Mack already. I mean, Herbert got hit a million times and gutted it out at the end. I give him credit. But nothing's gone well. They're a tough watch.

5:48 We've talked about some of these guys.

5:50 Their season's over.

5:51 Their season's over. Yeah. And when you look at their schedule ahead, too, I mean, they've got the Broncos. Then they go to Kansas City. Then they go to L.A. to take on the Rams. Good luck. And then they have the Houston Texans. And then they go to Baltimore. They've got to play the Patriots. They've got to play the Niners, the Chiefs again, the Broncos again. Good luck.

6:09 I mean, I guess I could wait until we get to Houston because they're 0-4. But of the no-win teams, they're the only team I think that can.

6:17 Has a chance to make a playoff.

6:19 Yeah, yeah. And I know the math is against you. You basically have to go 10-3 to even be in the conversation if you're 0-4 right now.

6:27 Any scenario where Harbaugh's not back there in L.A.? I.

6:30 Think there's a scenario Herbert or Harbaugh isn't back there. I don't think there's a rift between the two, but maybe this combination, one of them has to go. I don't know. I've brought that up many times. What if they have a second pick in the draft? Like, should we take Arch and trade Herbert to the Steelers for three first-round picks and rebuild like crazy?

6:50 Well, I will tell you, if it goes that poorly, I'm not giving up three first-round picks for Herbert. But I get what you're saying.

6:55 Yeah, yeah. They shut him down a month after, you know, when it's all over. I mean, you know what I mean? Like, there's going to be decisions for these teams if they're that bad.

7:04 I'm a little worried about Joe Alt, too, in terms of his long-term future.

7:07 That's a lot of time, man.

7:08 He, to me, is starting to feel like one of these guys that, my goodness, there's no denying he's one of the best in the world when he's out there. But he's not out there enough. He's just always banged up, and you hate to see it.

7:17 He hasn't been in the league long enough for as many injuries as he has.

7:20 Yeah, you hate to see it, man. Number 30, another 0-4 team. It's the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

7:25 They're a disaster, too, and I think that's a foregone conclusion there will be a coaching change there. This new coach, Want Baker, he almost doesn't have a choice. He's re-signed him.

7:34 Can I interest Tampa Bay in one Mike Tomlin for one first-round pick?

7:37 If I was him, I'd be interested.

7:38 Absolutely. He's familiar with that organization.

7:40 I mean, I don't know if you'll get the third pick in the draft for Tomlin.

7:43 Maybe not.

7:43 If they're that bad, but you know.

7:45 Maybe you'll get the 35th and something else.

7:47 Yeah, or future first.

7:49 Yeah.

7:49 You know, whatever, yeah.

7:51 Interesting. Hey, I have been told if you've got a lot of money that Florida is a lovely place to live. Unfortunately, I'll never know.

7:57 No state income tax either.

7:58 No state income tax. Speaking of Florida, stay in there in the Sunshine State, No. 29, the Miami Dolphins. But No. 32 in Matt Williamson's heart?

8:05 Yeah, I just don't think they have good players yet.

8:06 The Miami Dolphins.

8:08 I mean, I guess they were respectable against the Vikings.

8:10 I will give them that. Well, they did in San Francisco kind of rolled over and died. But they've played some tight games too.

8:17 They're not going to win many.

8:19 28, the Washcombs, the Washington Commanders.

8:22 Seems a little harsh. But, I mean, I'm looking at it like Daniels is back, but maybe you shouldn't do that if I was writing the article. Maybe that's a next week thing.

8:34 27, they needed a win desperately, and they got it. It's the Green Bay Packers.

8:39 Yeah, I don't feel any better about them, though. I mean, they beat Tampa, but I don't feel any better about them. They have a quarterback.

8:46 Jordan Love might be the hardest quarterback to evaluate in the NFL right now.

8:49 Yeah.

8:50 Because I'm not saying he's perfect or anything like that, but he just has nothing around him.

8:54 Like, I don't think they could be the team that ends up with the fourth overall pick, takes more, and trades low.

9:00 No.

9:01 I mean, I think they'll be better than that.

9:02 I think the head coach and quarterback are competent enough. They'll win eight games.

9:07 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And probably have safe jobs.

9:09 Probably stay right around this 500 range most of the year.

9:13 They are 2-2, right?

9:14 They're 2-2.

9:15 They're just below expectations.

9:17 Yes, yes. 26, they started out with an impressive win against the Chargers, but they have now lost three straight games. It's the Arizona Cardinals.

9:27 Ooh, they'd be lower for me.

9:28 I think so, too.

9:29 Yeah.

9:30 I realize it felt like a really nice win week one at the time.

9:33 But now it doesn't look so great. Now it doesn't look as.

9:35 Impressive, and they've lost three in a row in kind of less.

9:38 Than competitive fashion. They got beat pretty bad by the Giants, too.

9:40 The Giants aren't great. And the Giants are not world beaters. 25, Matt Williamson down six spots from last week.

9:48 Yours.

9:48 Pittsburgh Steelers.

9:50 Oh, that's a little harsh.

9:53 That's maybe more harsh. You've got the Jets ahead of the Steelers.

9:55 I would say the Jets come to mind immediately.

9:56 You've got the Texans ahead of the Steelers. Both of those teams would swap. spots with Pittsburgh in a heartbeat.

10:02 I don't know where I could put Houston on this list because I do think if in Wichita, Kansas, I think Houston's favored over the Steelers.

10:09 Agree.

10:10 Today.

10:10 But I don't think the Jets are.

10:11 No way.

10:12 I don't think the Colts are.

10:13 Definitely not.

10:14 I don't think the Giants or the Saints are. And they're all ahead of the Steelers.

10:17 Houston's just a weird anomaly.

10:19 They might still be a good team.

10:21 This has a bad record. But the Steelers are better than all those teams that you mentioned. I feel very confident about that.

10:26 24 is the New York Jets. They ran just 32 plays. And got crushed. I don't know how.

10:33 They gave up 34 first downs and ran 32 plays.

10:35 They've lost three games in a row now after looking good. Other than last week, their other two losses hadn't been blowouts or embarrassing or anything like that, but I.

10:43 Just They've been scrappy until last week.

10:46 I don't know how you can have them ahead of the Steelers or the Packers at this point.

10:49 No, I'd have Green Bay ahead of them, too. To be honest.

10:52 Yeah.

10:52 23 is the Houston Texans.

10:54 Again, we've talked about them a lot. I don't know where I'd put them.

10:56 I think this is about right.

10:57 I don't have a problem with the area.

10:58 I wouldn't have them buried with all the other 0-14s.

11:00 They wouldn't be with the Chargers.

11:01 But they are 0-4, and these are power rankings, so you can't have them much higher than this.

11:05 The goal is to win.

11:07 22 is the Steelers' upcoming opponent, the Indianapolis Colts.

11:12 I don't think 22 is crazy. I would have Pittsburgh ahead of them. They're a below average team.

11:18 They have more games in a row, but yeah, I'm with you.

11:21 The more I dig into them, the less I'm impressed throughout the course of this week, particularly Daniel Jones.

11:26 Did I tell you I talked to our buddy Matt Taylor, the voice of the Indianapolis Colts, yesterday? Did I tell you that? I don't think I told you that.

11:31 His name came up yesterday. I don't remember what conversation he had.

11:34 So maybe I did mention it to you. But he said to tell you hello.

11:36 Oh, good. I like him.

11:37 We love Matt Taylor. He's the Rob King of the Indianapolis Colts, albeit a little bit younger and more handsome than Rob King is. But no, Matt always takes care of us when we're out at the combine. He's been good to us for years. And I'll be excited to see him and Casey and their entire radio broadcast crew.

11:54 They are good people there in Indianapolis and fun to work with. He just reached out to me yesterday because he had a couple questions about the setup in the press box. And he was like, hey, make sure you tell Williamson I said hello.

12:04 Cool.

12:05 21, the Philadelphia Eagles.

12:08 Yeah, that might be a little kind. Their offense is a disaster right now.

12:12 Dude.

12:13 I mean, like, everything that can go wrong is going wrong.

12:15 Saquon's out. Devonta Smith is out. The offensive line is Swiss cheese.

12:19 It's not close to what it used to be. I think the quarterback's below average of the 32 starters. I thought the defense would be better. I mean, like, Dejean's not as impressive as he was.

12:29 TV asked me an interesting question. I think it was yesterday before you got here, actually. If the Eagles ended up moving on for Jalen Hurts and it was pennies on the dollar, would you be interested as a stealer? No, I said the same thing.

12:42 And that part of it's not his TV.

12:44 I don't know if TV agrees with us. I said, listen, if the offensive line was top five in the league and the defense was top five in the league, then I'd be very interested in Jalen hurts. Cause I know he can have success, but it's just not right now.

12:54 My problem with him is you have to tailor the offense so much. Yes. You know that, not that he's a bad player, but he's hard to work around.

13:02 He's just, he is perhaps the most square peg square quarterback in the league.

13:08 Right, right, right. He doesn't throw over the middle. I mean like, There's some things that are hard to work around.

13:14 When there's no turbulence, he's a fantastic pilot. Second that turbulence hits, he's not very good at all. Number 20, the New Orleans Saints, fresh off a lopsided loss last night. Matt, they're 1-3 early on.

13:26 Yeah.

13:27 Some jabroni here picked them to win the division.

13:29 You're not totally buried on that, but I don't like your chances.

13:33 I don't like mine. Carolina looks pretty solid.

13:35 Yeah, their first couple weeks looked pretty darn good for the Saints, like barely lost to the Lions, played the Ravens tough. Then you watch last night, it's like no running game, no run defense, asking Shuck to throw it 50-some times or whatever. That's not the recipe you want.

13:53 19. Matt, I think they're playing way over their skis, but they are 3-1. It's the New York Giants.

13:58 I thought you were going to say the Browns.

14:02 You know what? I think I'd pick the Browns over the Giants right now.

14:05 I was going to say, where would you pick between the two of them? Winston looked a little better, but I still think he's a problem. Two huge developments for the giants. So it's kind of like the Titans conversation where chances are you're not winning this year, but your young guys have to really look good. Neighbors looks like he's back a hundred percent, which is gigantic. And Abdul Carter, I've been saying this for a year. So he's going to be a star.

14:28 I think their defense next year could be one of the best in the NFL.

14:31 For recent that mixed and you know, right. Yeah, Matt, I think Harbaugh is building a nice thing.

14:36 He is.

14:36 And the good news for the giants, man, their schedule is manageable.

14:40 Really?

14:40 Like, It gets very hard towards the end, but they go to the Commanders this weekend.

14:46 I bet they're favored in that game.

14:47 Or if not, maybe they're a point and a half dog.

14:49 Yeah, it's real close.

14:50 Then they host the Saints.

14:51 Probably favored in that one.

14:52 And then they got the Texans.

14:54 Okay.

14:55 Who knows where the Texans are at at that time? I mean, they could be five and two. I mean, easily.

15:01 Yeah, yeah. Again, it's kind of tragic that you at least don't get that year of dart development.

15:07 Because that's the thing is.

15:09 Like, Everything else is moving forward, but the quarterback had this, you know, just take the year off.

15:15 And I guess it's almost, maybe it's a blessing in the sense of if the Giants bottomed out this year, then you would have to have the, do we draft Archer, Dante Moore, whoever, Drew Mestemaker, Trinidad Chambliss, or do we, bring dart back.

15:28 Yeah.

15:28 If you're really good though, it's still an interesting, if they fit really good, if they finish.

15:33 If they're 900, say they finish nine and eight.

15:35 Right.

15:36 Right.

15:36 Hey, say they even back door in as a wildcard team at 10 and.

15:39 Seven get smoked in the first round or whatever.

15:41 And what do you do about the quarterback this off season? You just run it back with, with shuck. When you think you have a team that's ready to win around them, or shuck part of it with dart.

15:49 Um, It's a very small insurance policy, but I think that was some of the logic behind trading for McCarthy, too.

15:54 Yeah, it's a good call.

15:55 We might have a point where we put him in there and see if he's viable. We should have did this with Houston, but their upcoming schedule is pretty easy. Houston could get to like four and five before you know it. I forget what it is, but there's teams like the Chargers that once looked difficult that aren't anymore.

16:13 All right, they're in Nashville this weekend. You have to win that one. I mean, that is.

16:18 I mean, it's over if you lose that game.

16:19 I think that of any team in the NFL, I think that's the number one must win this weekend.

16:23 I mean, that's the get right game. That's a slump buster. So let's say you're four and one.

16:27 And then they have the Jags.

16:29 Okay. I knew there was one tough one.

16:31 In London. So it's an away game.

16:33 For them, but they're definitely a dog in that game though.

16:36 Then they host the Giants. They could be a slight favorite in that one. Then they go to LA to take on the Chargers. Who knows?

16:42 They're a disaster.

16:42 Then they go to Cleveland. Then they host the Colts. So I wouldn't call that super easy, but it's not a gauntlet, certainly. The Jags matchup looks pretty difficult, but the other five definitely look winnable.

16:54 Could you get to four and five?

16:57 If you can get to four and five, you're still alive.

16:58 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

16:59 You're definitely still alive, but you better start making some hay here quick.

17:02 Even three and six, you might still kind of be alive.

17:05 Yeah.

17:06 Anyway.

17:06 Number 18, Matt, the biggest risers this week, the New England Patriots.

17:12 Yeah.

17:13 Yeah.

17:13 In a way, it was good to see because I don't think they're a contender. I never thought they were a contender.

17:17 You speak for yourself. I hope they stunk up the joint this year.

17:21 Just in terms of preseason expectations I had, either they were a borderline playoff team. Biggest thing is I just love Drake May. I think he's really, really good. And he looked back to being the guy I remember. I bet they end the season in this neighborhood. 16 to 20. Right in that kind of wildcard range. Should we have mentioned the Browns by now, though?

17:40 We're mentioning them next.

17:41 Okay, I said they got to be soon.

17:42 Number 17, the Cleveland Browns.

17:46 It's hard to deny the wins. None of them blow your doors off. Like, holy smokes, this is a juggernaut. The defense is better than we probably gave a credit for, and it's probably a top seven or eight defense.

17:59 Swessinger is so good.

18:00 Yeah, yeah.

18:01 They've got Delpit and Ward who just know how to play in this league.

18:04 Yeah.

18:05 We didn't really talk about this much, but I thought Emmanuel McNeil-Warren... did some really good things on Thursday night.

18:10 She was a stealer.

18:11 They've got some pieces in the secondary. They've got the young ascending linebacker, the defensive line with, you know, with Graham and verse.

18:20 And these aren't much different than last year.

18:22 Derek Barnett, who was the first round pick of the Eagles back in the day when I was in Philly, kind of washed out there and he's, he's carved out a nice career for himself.

18:31 And their skill guys are good. It might be still a little high for me though.

18:35 Maybe, but I would say only a few spots too high.

18:37 Yeah, yeah. I mean, I'd have them ahead of the Steelers this week for sure.

18:41 Oh, yeah.

18:41 I think you have to. They're 3-1.

18:43 Yeah.

18:44 Tied for first in the AFC North. Who saw that coming?

18:46 No.

18:46 16, the Detroit Lions. Matt, I don't know. Might have them a couple spots lower.

18:51 The teams we mentioned. The offense is great. You're right. The defense is bad.

18:55 Matt, they are the WVU equivalent.

18:57 Is WVU really that bad?

18:59 Matt, in our last two games, we've scored 66 points. We've surrendered 86 points.

19:03 Yeah.

19:05 I mean, every Lions game is going to go exactly the same.

19:07 Yeah, the Detroit Mountaineers can score a lot, but you can't stop a nosebleed.

19:12 So I guess you should be right in the middle then.

19:15 I think, yeah. You're great on one side of the ball and terrible on the other. Maybe a spot or two lower, but I think that's about right. Another big riser this week, Matt. They are 2-2. They are up to 15. It's the Atlanta Falcons.

19:27 I'm cool with that.

19:27 Me too.

19:27 I think that's deserved. I mean, it's two different teams with a legit quarterback and not.

19:32 In the.

19:34 spirit of power rankings, you're supposed to get some credit for looking how they've looked in their last two games.

19:38 Yeah, at least Stefanski's a legit coach. I think Albrecht's really good on defense too. And I was watching that game last night too, especially when they had a big lead thinking, man, what if they had Pearson Walker off the edge? You know, like They got a raw deal on those guys.

19:52 They sure did. 14, we'll stay in the NFC South. It's the Carolina Panthers.

19:57 I think I'd probably have them right next to each other.

20:00 And I would expect that they'll duke it out the rest of the way. I don't think the Saints are dead by any means, but they might have a little catching up to do.

20:07 Those three quarterbacks are kind of fun, though. Penix, Young and Shuck.

20:12 I don't know if I'd want any of them, but they are fun.

20:15 I'm still a Shuck believer.

20:16 Maybe Shuck would be the one if I had to have one for sure.

20:18 I was watching Shuck last night going, he's getting no help. He's doing some okay things.

20:24 Number 13, the Los Angeles Rams. They needed it in Philadelphia on Sunday. They got it.

20:30 I'm cool with that. They would not be like top eight for me at this point.

20:34 No, and I think you can see them easily getting back there.

20:36 Oh, yeah, yeah.

20:37 They have not had the flying start to the season.

20:39 Mm-mm.

20:40 Number 12, Matt, who saw this coming? Viva Las Vegas, the Raiders. Yeah, they dropped a tough one to Kansas City, but still 3-1, still playing good football.

20:48 I hate, like, oh, it was a moral victory, but that was kind of a moral victory. They hung right to the end against a legit team that's good every year. I'm cool with that.

20:57 That's well said. I don't really believe in that either, especially at the pro level.

21:01 Yeah.

21:01 But I think that's a, hey, that one sucked, and maybe we feel like we let it get away, but we know we can play with these guys.

21:07 And let's not ignore, I mean, for the last 10 years, one of them's basically been the best organizational league. The other one's been the worst. And if we can narrow that gap.

21:14 In one year, if you can narrow the gap to make it close, that's a huge step forward. Yep, yep, yep. 11-4-0, the Minnesota Vikings.

21:23 Yeah, but the Kyler experiment isn't, blowing you away with no with call you know it's not it's gonna be a slow burn.

21:29 I would say he deserves a little more time yeah he's had that concussion early and all they.

21:33 Didn't have justin jefferson last week which is a massive blow.

21:36 I tell you what if they if they want to hang around the top 10 here they need that offense to take a step forward.

21:40 We're talking about this today do you agree that it's a vikings bear it used to be a four horse race in that division i don't know that the packers can be in it and the lions defense is so bad i mean Unless they add Max Crosby or something. I think it's a two-horse race.

21:53 We both picked the Lions to win that division, didn't we? Does that sound right?

21:55 Yeah.

21:56 We both picked the Packers to finish last. That part was good.

21:59 Yes, and I know I took Chicago as a wild card. I think you had them missing the playoffs. I have it all on my notes. We can go back and revisit it. But Minnesota's at 11 at 4-0. The Bears are at 10 at 3-1.

22:10 Bears-D is not as horrific as, like, the Lions. No, and— And they're winning with backup quarterbacks. I mean, that's Coach of the Year stuff.

22:17 And we've talked in the past about how, man, if I'm Chicago, I'd love to add Max Crosby at the deadline. You might not be able to now.

22:23 Yeah.

22:24 No, I think Chicago's above the Vikings. I understand putting them next to each other, but not to mention Caleb's coming back.

22:32 Right.

22:33 The offense has kept humming despite using some backups.

22:35 They're running for a million yards. O-line's playing great.

22:38 Number nine, Matt, this might be a little rich for me as they're on a two-game losing streak, but it's the Cincinnati Bengals.

22:43 I was wondering when they'd pop up. I think I'd have these two AFCs. I'd definitely have the Bears ahead of them.

22:47 All right, can I ask you, I'm going to.

22:48 Because what if you don't have Jason Higgins? I mean, as currently constructed, the offense might not be a strength.

22:54 And I think you said it aptly yesterday. Their front four is fixed, but that defense is not fixed.

23:00 Yeah, I'm fine with corner, but like slot, linebacker, safety, it's as bad as ever.

23:07 We've talked a lot, Matt, and this is becoming a beefy segment here, but I don't care. I like it.

23:10 Mm-hmm.

23:11 We've talked a lot about C.J. Stroud and Justin Herbert and some of these other quarterbacks that are seemingly kind of at crossroads or just having tough starts to seasons or coming off of tough years last year in the case of Stroud. We talked about this with Drake May this year up until this week. Is it time to be a little worried about Joe Burrow? Now, if I'm putting my black and gold glasses on, I hope so, but you get what I'm saying. Is he maybe not quite in that unicorn tier yet?

23:40 Maybe not quite in the unicorn tier. I always have thought he might be like, I've had enough of this organization. I mean, I'm old enough to remember the Carson Palmer versus the Browns, meaning ownership battle, where it can be a frustrating place to play. Now, they did do some things for him this year.

24:00 They did.

24:01 But if it ends up again where they're 8-9 and he's getting beat up, I.

24:05 Could just see it. I understand that, but I tell you what, it feels like in the past— It's been everything around him crumbling. Whereas, and I don't know, maybe it's just recency bias, but he threw two back-breaking interceptions.

24:17 Against the Jags. He hasn't played great all year.

24:18 And then he had that horrific, I loved it, but he had that horrific strip sack that lost them at least a chance to tie and send that game to overtime against the Steelers.

24:29 I think that's safe. I mean, he's not a unicorn.

24:31 Three back-breaking turnovers in their last two games that were one-possession games.

24:36 You can convince me that he's from the worst tier one guy to maybe the best tier two guy. You know what I mean? We're splitting hairs, but that matters. Matt. I also think like Stafford could retire. The Rams can send them four first round picks and McVay and Burrow.

24:50 Ty Simpson.

24:51 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever, you know.

24:53 Matt, up to number eight, it's the Dallas Cowboys.

24:56 That's a little rich for me. Me, I think so too.

24:58 I think Cincinnati and Dallas, a little rich.

25:01 Yeah. I don't trust either defense.

25:03 And I don't know about this one, Matt. It feels like they were penalized a little too much. A big drop from No. 3 down to No. 7, the Buffalo Bills, after losing at home to the Patriots.

25:12 Oh, I'd probably have them higher.

25:14 I think I would, too.

25:14 Yeah. I mean, that's a desperate Patriot team that knows you well.

25:18 And it was down. I mean, they scored the winning touchdown with, what, 90 seconds left? Yeah.

25:21 I don't think there's a lot of shame in that loss.

25:24 I do like this, though. Up to No. 6, I think. They, right now, today, are probably the best team in the AFC. It's the Jacksonville Jaguars.

25:32 That of them ahead of, like, Denver.

25:34 Denver's at five. Baltimore's at four. I would put Jacksonville and Buffalo ahead of both of those teams.

25:39 I might put them ahead of Kansas City, too. I think Jacksonville might be the best team in the AFC.

25:43 I think they might.

25:43 One loss in week two in Denver. Everyone loses week two in Denver. They played them down to the wire. Denver's got some issues.

25:50 Everyone.

25:50 And I'm taking Lawrence over Knicks a million times out of a million.

25:53 Everyone loses week two in Denver, except for the Steelers a couple years ago when they went there. Corey Trice, interception.

25:59 Pull one out, baby.

26:01 Denver is number five, Matt. I think they should be in the top ten. That top five might be a little rich for me.

26:07 I thought they were a Super Bowl contender before the season. I don't feel that way now. They don't run the ball well. The offense is very disjointed.

26:13 Number four, the Baltimore Ravens.

26:15 I don't have a lot of qualms with that.

26:17 I don't. And again, if Lamar's going to miss some time, maybe they should be six or seven instead of four.

26:22 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

26:23 I would operate as if he's maybe missing one game at most.

26:27 Number three is the Seattle Seahawks, who rebounded after that disappointing loss to the Commanders and took care, easy work, of a Chargers team.

26:36 Yes, but of the top teams, other than Smith and Jigba, their weapons are well below the line.

26:42 Well, wouldn't you say the same thing about Kansas City, who checks in at number two on this list?

26:45 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

26:46 And then number one, Matt. The San Francisco 49ers.

26:50 I think that's deserved.

26:52 I mean.

26:52 Because now they beat a good team.

26:54 If you're truly doing this.

26:55 Zero sacks.

26:56 If you're truly doing this in a power ranking fashion, I think their four wins have been the most impressive of any of the four win teams.

27:03 I think Purdy's either first or second in terms of odds to win the MVP right now. I mean, like, that's the kind of season he's putting together.

27:10 He's quietly been outstanding. Yeah.

27:13 Pretty flawless.

27:14 Yes.

27:14 Yes.

27:15 So there you have it. Steelers are too low. Steelers are too low, but that's okay. It's week five. It's week five. Go out there and handle business against the Colts, and then we'll start moving up this list as we roll along here. That is a beefy segment to get us started in hour number two here. Let's hit some tweets, hit some YouTube comments, some audience participation as we roll along.

27:34 Euler and Williamson, it's The Drive, Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.

27:42 And now a word from our sponsor, Bud Light. There's nothing better than the clean, crisp... There's nothing better than the clean, crisp. Uh, what if we just got out of here and grabbed some Bud Lights? But man, we're on air for four more hours.

27:57 I'll figure it out.

27:59 Sounds good to me. Anything for the clean, crisp taste of Bud Light.

28:04 Stock up now.

28:05 Bud Light.

28:05 Easy to drink, easy to enjoy. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Anheuser-Busch Bud Light Beer, St.

28:10 Louis, Missouri.

28:11 I used to have cable internet, but I'm a 100% kind of fan, so I switched to Verizon Fios. It's 100% fiber internet that's super reliable. So I streamed 100% of the NFL draft live with ultra low lag. And after what went down in the first round, still getting video calls from my best friend, rubbing it in that he called all the picks.

28:28 I told you they were building their own line. I win the bet.

28:31 Get 100% fiber internet with Verizon Fios, because when it comes to your team, it's 100% or nothing. Call 1-833-VERIZON to switch today.

28:38 Get that hot dog costume ready. Bruh.

28:45 You're tuned to The Drive on your 24-7 home of the black and gold.

28:49 Steelers Nation Radio.

29:30 Matt, some housekeeping, some moving and shaking for the Steelers. We alluded to some of this. Pardon me. I'm about to sneeze.

29:37 Uh-oh.

29:38 Something. Love it when that happens.

29:39 Best when you're on the air. Okay.

29:42 There's a frog in my trote, as Tunch Oken would have said. Some housekeeping, some business to attend to in Steelers land. We kind of touched on some of this with Mike DeFabo earlier, but it's now official. The Steelers have signed corner Terrell Smith to the active roster off of the Washington Commanders practice squad. The Steelers have also signed linebacker K.J. Henry to the practice squad and released linebacker Braden Swinson from the practice squad with that match.

30:12 The practice squad moves aren't the biggest moving and shaking things in the world, but I'm almost certain, I didn't do the homework on both these guys, but I'm almost certain Henry Is an edge. I mean, he's an outside linebacker. He's not an off-the-ball dude. He's more of a defensive end than he is Kendrell Bell.

30:28 Sure, sure. He did spend time with the Steelers practice squad last year.

30:32 I thought so.

30:33 They're at least familiar with him, and he's familiar.

30:36 It's rare that somebody gets scooped up like this Terrell Smith that I can't give you much on him. I don't know his background or story. Especially when he's... I know he's like 26, 27 years old.

30:48 Going to the active rosters.

30:49 Yeah, yeah.

30:49 This is now two guys that you've added from other teams' practice squads right to the active roster.

30:54 It's not a great way to do business. I mean, that's usually not a super successful move.

30:58 And I'm sure you know where I'm going with this, too. In reading the tea leaves, I would think that that's not a good sign for Jamel Beans.

31:04 That's my first thought, yeah.

31:05 But when you're signing two guys, okay, one, you've got to replace Joey Porter Jr., understandable.

31:11 Mm-hmm. Two.

31:12 you can start to read between the lines.

31:14 The other thing I thought of, too, just by when this came across, is remember yesterday we did the real easy math. They moved on from two people, only brought one back. Does that mean they're leaving a spot for Elliott? Probably not.

31:26 Probably not.

31:27 Yeah, because, I mean, these two practice squad corners have to be on the team for several weeks.

31:31 They have to be on the team. I actually had it here. It's for at least three games following being poached from another team's practice squad. So it's not just like a one-week ban.

31:41 It handcuffs you a little bit. It does. Yeah.

31:43 It certainly does. Here's a little more on, I don't know if it's Terrell or Terrell Smith. So all apologies to him. We're building this airplane as we fly it. But Smith was originally selected by the Bears. Fifth round in the 23 draft. Spent three seasons.

31:58 From where? Does it mention? Okay, don't worry about it.

32:01 Minnesota. There we go. He was a golden gopher. Fifth round pick in 23, spent three seasons with the Bears, appeared in 26 games, four TFLs, 10 pass defense, one interception, a forced fumble, 68 tackles, missed the 25 season last year due to a knee injury.

32:23 So that's two corners. This sounds terrible, but it's like you grabbed two corners off practice squads, neither of whom played it down last year. Yes. I mean, that's a fact.

32:33 That's what happened.

32:34 As some might say, desperate times call for desperate measures.

32:37 Maybe they loved them before the injuries. I'm sure they did. But that's facts. That's two corners you grabbed off practice squads that didn't play down last year.

32:45 Matt, I do want to start getting to the audience participation here as we've got a couple minutes left in this segment and then our final segment to close things down for the day. I mentioned to you yesterday we got a good tweet from our buddy Michael Adesso that I wanted to spend some more time on. And honestly, we've gotten a couple of these tweets of people wondering just what's going on with Nick Herbig. You know, no sacks in four games. He's got, I think, like one and a half or three TFLs. He does have the forced fumble, which was a big play in that moment.

33:14 But it has obviously not been the disrupt disruptive part of me start to the season that I think we all expected from Herbig. Yeah. Funny enough, I did a radio hit with with our buddy Tom Offerman and Vince Williams today. And one of the questions Vince asked me was, Wes, how do the Steelers get Nick Herbig going? And I was like, Vince, you tell me you're the you're the former linebacker. I should be asking you this.

33:37 Mark asked me the same thing, Mark Madden, on Monday.

33:39 But it's definitely, if you want to see this defense taking a big step forward, I would think getting him back to what we expect from Nick Herbig would be a big part of that.

33:50 Yeah, and I don't have a great answer nor solution for this question, but it is worth bringing up. And how I mentioned, how I responded to Mark was, if you'd asked me this two weeks ago, after two weeks of the season, I'd be like, man, Herbig's out there making plays all over the place. He looks fantastic. using them in new ways. He's blowing up screens or blitzing them up the middle. He's making plays, you know, on the second level, interesting usage. Um, people think he's a bad run defender or crazy. And I agree with that.

34:19 I don't think he's TJ or Alex. Right. Right.

34:21 Right.

34:21 I don't think he's bad.

34:22 I don't either. So my short answer is I'm not concerned yet. Now I have seen some of these kinds of numbers and I take them mostly with a grain of salt, but, um, His, like, pass rush win rate and sack rate and all that kind of stuff is way below than where it has. Now, it also, remember, he was never a full-time player. In terms of, like, percentage of pass rushes that end up in sacks, pressures, hurries, hits, he was always, like, Miles Garrett, Michael Parsons level.

34:56 Oh, yeah.

34:57 Like, if it's a graph, he's in the top right quadrant.

34:59 He's always up there, right, in terms of efficiency per pass rush. So that was probably bound to go down. I'm not worried yet, though. I just have seen so much good up until the last week or two. And he hasn't looked bad. Some of the defensive players have missed tackles and looked bad.

35:20 This is something I mentioned to Vince, too. We've all talked about this a lot with Mike McCarthy in the offensive side of the football, but I think it also rings true for Patrick Graham in the defense. you need a little time to cook with all the ingredients that you have in your pantry before you realize, okay, I need this much salt and pepper and that much paprika and this much cumin and this much butter. I think some of it, too, might just still be Patrick Graham figuring out how to best deploy everyone in that defense with all the new pieces that he has.

35:50 Of course, I hope this isn't the case, but if Watt or Highsmith were to get hurt on the first play of the game against Indy and Herbig had to play 75% of the snaps. I bet he'd do really well. Yes.

36:01 I really do. Yes. Matt, Jeff tweets us and says, not so fun fact, after Sunday, the Steelers only have one more home game until Black Friday.

36:10 Is that true?

36:13 At Tampa?

36:14 Well, one's in Paris.

36:15 But that was still an away game, to be fair.

36:16 Yeah, it's not home.

36:18 Then you host the Browns November 1st. Then you go to Cincy. Then you go to Philly. And then Black Friday. He's right.

36:23 Wow.

36:24 Okay.

36:25 So only two of the next six are at home for the Steelers.

36:30 Okay. And we knew that when the schedule came out, but when it sneaks up on you, I never look at like the whole schedule. Once the season starts, I'm like, who are they playing again next week? I had a better clue of the schedule a month before the season than during the season.

36:44 So Jeff, what you're telling me is I'm going to drive my wife crazy. Cause I'm just going to leave my suitcase by the dresser and.

36:50 Not really unpack it for.

36:52 The next month and a half. Oh, buddy. All right, let's get to a break here because we got to kind of get our clock back on schedule, but we have about 10 minutes, eight or nine minutes in the final segment where it's going to be all audience participation before Matt and I get up out of here. It is The Drive, Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.

37:14 And now a word from our sponsor, Bud Light. There's nothing better than the clean, crisp... There's nothing better than the clean, crisp... Uh, what if we just got out of here and grabbed some Bud Lights? But man, we're on air for four more hours.

37:30 I'll figure it out.

37:31 Sounds good to me. Anything for the clean, crisp taste of Bud Light.

37:36 Stock up now. Bud Light.

37:38 Easy to drink, easy to enjoy. Enjoy responsibly.

37:40 Copyright 2026 Anheuser-Busch Bud Light Beer, St.

37:43 Louis, Missouri.

37:44 I used to have cable internet, but I'm a 100% kind of fan, so I switched to Verizon Fios. It's 100% fiber internet that's super reliable. So I streamed 100% of the NFL draft live with ultra low lag. And after what went down in the first round, still getting video calls from my best friend, rubbing it in that he called all the picks.

38:01 I told you they were building their own line. I win the bet.

38:04 Get 100% fiber internet with Verizon Fios, because when it comes to your team, it's 100% or nothing. Call 1-833-VERIZON to switch today.

38:11 Get that hot dog costume ready.

38:13 Bruh.

38:18 You're tuned to The Drive on your 24-7 home of the black and gold.

38:22 Steelers Nation Radio.

39:02 Down the homestretch here on the drive, and we've got a few questions, comments, and concerns and reactions to get to before we get up out of here. Matt Williamson on this Tuesday. Let's go to Mike here who says, what do you guys think the team and coaches can do for the Steelers and across the NFL to improve tackling under the current parameters of the CBA? Is this all just a product of September football? Do you guys think more live tackle in St. Vincent would have helped?

39:31 Does that have an impact? He said, I was thinking about that, but I also recall some Mike Tomlin teams that struggled with tackling right out of the gate, and they obviously did much more of that during training camp. Yeah, that's a good point, Mike.

39:43 What I can assure you is most teams, a very, very high percentage of the league handled training camp in the preseason, like the Steelers new regime. So if people, it's much different than the Tomlin way of doing things, but it's not much different than the modern way of doing things. So I don't think it's going to improve.

40:07 I kind of feel like this is one of those things you have to do it live and the whole league's going to look at it. Like we're not doing it live until we're live until it matters.

40:16 Real quick, I'm sorry to cut you off. We have massive breaking news.

40:19 Whoa!

40:20 Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson just announced his retirement.

40:23 I was wondering if that was going to happen. He didn't play because of personal reasons.

40:28 Holy cow. He just put out a whole statement, and you would expect it's a little lengthy and a little emotional, but he talks about his love for Philly in 14 seasons, deeply wanted to gut it out for one more year, but my head and heart are not 100% in the game, and right now my head and my heart are telling me that it's time to say goodbye to football. At this time, I've made the incredibly difficult decision to retire from the National Football League.

40:50 Wow.

40:52 Wow.

40:52 I mean, I'll just look at it from a football perspective. I hope his personal life is okay.

40:56 Absolutely.

40:57 He's a first ballot, easy Hall of Famer. For players that have only been a right tackle their whole life, he might be the best ever. I mean, like, that's how good his career has been.

41:08 No doubt.

41:08 And the real O-line nerds. Duke Mannyweather and Brandon Thorne, the guys that only do that for a living, think he is a revelation. He's created techniques.

41:19 Yeah.

41:20 But if you're the Eagles.

41:22 Oh, you are up creek without a paddle, brother.

41:25 Yes, yes. And maybe they had some inclination a week ago when he said, I can't go this week. That doesn't mean you have a contingency plan and nothing's going well on your offense to begin with.

41:34 No, and I mean, he... I know that.

41:38 There's... That'd be like if Cam Hayward hung it up right now. It's almost exactly the same thing. Or what?

41:43 There has to be something deeper than just, you know, my body can't do it anymore. And for him to retire in season, that's wow.

41:52 Wow.

41:52 That is huge news.

41:54 He's an all-time great, folks. Most people don't look at him that way. Like, oh, nice player. No, no, no. He's a first ballot.

41:59 Well, I also think the two PED suspensions he had early in his career hamper some of that stuff. I know that was 10 years ago.

42:04 I know.

42:05 But he also had two. One, you can kind of go, okay, you took a wrong supplement.

42:09 You were young.

42:10 Two, eh. He was one PED suspension away from getting banned for an entire season.

42:16 I wasn't going to bring it up, but I wonder if he got banged again. Oh, man. I mean, that's just total speculation.

42:25 I think it's a fair question to ask.

42:27 I don't want to be remembered as the guy that got suspended my final year for the third time. Maybe he. Again, I hope that's not the case.

42:36 I'm totally making you up out of blue. But I think it's at least a fair thought.

42:40 But I have known athletes, not that they consult with me, but if you're hanging on for your dear life, which he isn't, but like a lot of great athletes, like I want to give it one more year, I'm going to bend the rules here. And if I get caught, I didn't get my last year, so be it. And I needed it to hang on. It just crossed my mind. Like, I wonder, did he get dinged?

43:03 I think it's a fair question to ask.

43:05 I wasn't going to bring it up at all because I don't want to ruin maybe he has some catastrophic thing at home with his wife or kids or something terrible. But, you know, it crossed my mind.

43:15 Man, what a story. And I'm sure it's not the last time we'll be talking about that.

43:18 But the Eagles are in trouble.

43:19 The Eagles are in trouble.

43:21 Yeah. That coach could be in trouble. That quarterback could be in trouble.

43:25 I like our pick of the Dallas Cowboys to win that division even more so now, Matt.

43:29 Giants might finish ahead of them. I mean, could this be an Eagle? You never think of the Eagles or Steelers being like a six-win team.

43:35 Eat your vegetables.

43:36 Could this be a Philly six-win team?

43:38 New coach, new quarterback. It certainly could.

43:41 They're not going to sit around their hands and do nothing. Wow.

43:45 RJ says, what does the backfield split look like when Rico Dowdle is back and healthy? I just can't justify taking Jalen Warren off the field. He's by far the only consistent and explosive player on this offense right now.

43:57 Kind of went under the radar we got semi good news about rico you know like he didn't go to ir i would think that's sooner or late in the next week or two i think we'll actually see him um it was a true 50 50 before as as as any much as much as any backfield can be in the league i can't imagine it still will be no at least two to one two to one yeah yeah yeah i mean rico's gonna get a lot more than So there's been four running back games this year where the running back has been on the field 90% of the snaps or more. Two of them are by Warren.

44:36 Two of the four. Wow. That's an unsustainable ask. So getting Rico back will certainly help and just take something off his plate. But it's not going to be– he's not going to get the workload he has the last two weeks. No way. But he should get more than Dowdle.

44:53 Dude, I still can't get my mind around.

44:55 Lane Johnson just retired in the middle of the season. In October.

44:59 Holy cow. Maybe he just wanted to free up his Halloween upcoming here in a couple weeks. No, I do hope everything is nothing much more drastic and heartbreaking. But it is obviously a shocking, massive loss for the Eagles. Wow. As you can imagine, that's all my Twitter timeline is filled with right now.

45:21 I can imagine.

45:22 Two-time Super Bowl champion and one of the best to ever do it, without a doubt, as that will be an NFL story that I'm sure is not going to go away here in the next couple days.

45:31 It's more common now, but I remember his combine way back when, he ran like a 4.8 or a 4.7. I'd never seen an offensive lineman run like a, a good moving tight end at that.

45:43 He started as a quarterback when he got to Oklahoma.

45:46 Right.

45:46 Yeah.

45:46 And then they quickly moved him to tight end. Like I think he, or he was a quarterback in high school, but they moved him to tight end when he got to Oklahoma.

45:52 Recruited him as a tight end.

45:53 Yes. And then after, I think like his first set of spring practices, they were like, dude, he's like the best Walker here. Yes.

45:59 Yeah.

46:00 And I forget, uh, I think no, not Joe Moorhead. The name is escaping me of the– Badenbaugh, I think, is his last name, who's been the Oklahoma offensive line coach for 15 years.

46:12 Oh, okay.

46:13 And he's kind of like– Kind of a legend. He's kind of like the Jeff Stoutland of the college. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, Trent Williams and Lane Johnson and all those great guys.

46:19 Good point, yeah.

46:20 And I think they took one look at him and.

46:22 Were like, dude– You want to be a first-round pick?

46:24 You want to be the third overall pick?

46:26 Or do you want to be a seventh-round tight end, or do you want to be a first-round pick? Tackle, yeah.

46:29 I think it worked out all right for him.

46:31 Yeah, good move.

46:31 Certainly worked out all right for him. He'll get a gold jacket one day, and he's got two fat rings on his finger. Wow. That will do it for us today. Big thanks to our buddy Mike DeFabo for joining us in the first hour. A big shout-out, as always, to Tyler V., Mr. TV, for producing on the video side of things. For Matt Williamson, I'm Wes Shuler. Take care, everybody, and we will talk to you tomorrow. As always, you know where to find us. It's on your 24-7 home of the black and gold. Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.

47:04 And now a word from our sponsor, Bud Light. There's nothing better than the clean, crisp... There's nothing better than the clean, crisp. Uh, what if we just got out of here and grabbed some Bud Lights? But man, we're on air for four more hours.

47:20 I'll figure it out.

47:21 Sounds good to me. Anything for the clean, crisp taste of Bud Light.

47:26 Stock up now. Bud Light.

47:27 Easy to drink, easy to enjoy. Enjoy responsibly.

47:30 Copyright 2026 Anheuser-Busch Bud Light Beer, St.

47:32 Louis, Missouri.

47:33 I used to have cable internet, but I'm a 100% kind of fan, so I switched to Verizon Fios. It's 100% fiber internet that's super reliable. So I streamed 100% of the NFL draft live with ultra low lag. And after what went down in the first round, still getting video calls from my best friend, rubbing it in that he called all the picks.

47:50 I told you they were building their own line. I win the bet.

47:53 Get 100% fiber internet with Verizon Fios, because when it comes to your team, it's 100% or nothing. Call 1-833-VERIZON to switch today.

48:01 Get that hot dog costume ready.

48:03 Bruh.