Enduring visuals from Week 9 were not what some of the NFL's would-be contenders had in mind.
There was Ben Roethlisberger limping around the Pittsburgh Steelers' locker room following his first game back from knee surgery. There was Cam Newton, though victorious, disappearing into the Los Angeles Coliseum grass under another helmet-to-helmet hit. There was Aaron Rodgers, though unhurt, hopping around Lambeau Field after someone stepped hard onto his left foot. Then there were the Minnesota Vikings, who somehow did not win after scoring the go-ahead touchdown against Detroit with 23 seconds left in regulation.
These were the leading protagonists among teams with high hopes and wildly fluctuating vital signs. The Steelers, Packers, Vikings, Eagles, Panthers and Cardinals will have to regain their equilibrium following hard falls to achieve contender status again. Below, I've diagnosed their conditions and ranked them by bounce-back potential.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-4)
Cause of slide: Sunday marked the first game all season that Pittsburgh had franchise cornerstones Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell, Cameron Heyward and Ryan Shazier playing in the same game. The Steelers trailed at Baltimore by 21 points deep into the fourth quarter before absorbing a 21-14 defeat. That result was obviously disappointing, but it didn't reveal anything new.
Roethlisberger was rushing back from surgery to repair a torn meniscus. The Steelers have struggled in Baltimore, even when Roethlisberger is healthy, and have failed to win there since the 2012 season. The Ravens entered Sunday having allowed a league-low 3.9 explosive plays per game (defined as runs covering at least 10 yards and passes covering at least 20). Pittsburgh, operating with Roethlisberger in the shotgun formation for all but a dozen snaps, managed zero explosive plays through three quarters.
Bounce-back potential: