A familiar face in the AFC playoff chase is stirring again.
Left for dead after a 0-4 start, the Steelers — remember them? — are starting to climb out of that hole and up The Post’s NFL Power Rankings on the strength of back-to-back impressive victories over the Jets and Ravens that have Terrible Towels waving again in Pittsburgh.
And unlike the Raiders, who have the same record but already appear dead and buried in the loaded AFC West, the Steelers know the North — where the 5-2 Bengals are no one’s idea of a powerhouse — is still ripe for the taking.
Pittsburgh was written off as old and thin during its winless start, but injuries now look like the real reason because the improving health of key pieces on both sides of the ball the past two weeks has made a noticeable difference.
That’s especially true of rookie running back Le’Veon Bell, whose return from an early-season injury has made Pittsburgh’s running game formidable again and taken the pressure off Ben Roethlisberger. Bell’s 93 yards against Baltimore on Sunday paved the way for the Steelers to run for a season-high 141 yards and, well, look like the Steelers again.
The defense is still uncharacteristically struggling to force turnovers (they have only two on the season), but is returning to form otherwise. Pittsburgh has allowed just 22 points the past two games combined after giving up an average of 24 points during the 0-4 stretch.
The Steelers still don’t loom as a Super Bowl threat, especially with a remaining schedule that is anything but easy. But they look a lot more like a contender for the playoffs than the No. 1 overall pick, which is a lot better than Pittsburgh could say less than a month ago.
(Last week’s ranking in parentheses)
1. Seahawks (2): They don’t face another decent team until Dec. 2, so they’re staying here awhile.
2. Chiefs (3): They already have won almost as many games (seven) as they did the previous two seasons combined (nine).
3. Broncos (1): So much for Von Miller’s return being the tonic for Denver’s awful defense.
4. 49ers (4): Four very impressive victories in a row have made that 1-2 start a distant memory.
5. Bengals (5): They don’t make it look pretty, but first place is first place — especially in a bad division.
6. Packers (6): How many devastating injuries can one team stand?
7. Colts (11): The big win over Peyton’s Broncos was overshadowed by the even bigger loss of Reggie Wayne for the season.
8. Saints (8): Pity the Bills, who must travel to face an angry team that’s had two weeks to stew over a giveaway loss to New England.
9. Patriots (7): You’d think Bill Belichick would know the rules by now.
10. Cowboys (14): The defense has actually gotten better without DeMarcus Ware. Go figure.
11. Lions (9): Still no consistency whatsoever from this talented but mystifying team.
12. Chargers (16): Winners of three of their last four, but two games remaining against both the Broncos and Chiefs loom large.
13. Jets (19): It looks as if Mike Tannenbaum left behind more talent than anyone thought.
14. Bears (10): Goodbye, Jay Cutler. Sayonara, playoffs.
15. Panthers (22): Three very impressive victories after an 0-2 start signals this is a team that shouldn’t be overlooked.
16. Ravens (12): Losers of three of their last four, and the rest of the schedule looks tough. Forget about a repeat.
17. Eagles (13): Maybe they should have re-signed Donovan McNabb last month instead of retiring his jersey.
18. Titans (15): Three losses in a row, then the owner dies. A sad month for football in Nashville.
19. Bills (26): There isn’t much time to savor the win in Miami with the Saints and Chiefs (combined record: 12-1) up next.
20. Steelers (23): Better health is translating into a better record. Imagine that.
21. Dolphins (17): The new definition of rock bottom: Losing at home to a team whose undrafted quarterback (Thad Lewis) had been waived twice by the Browns.
22. Redskins (28): Any momentum from winning two of their previous three won’t last long in Denver this weekend.
23. Cardinals (21): The remaining schedule is weak enough that 9-7 isn’t out of the question, but wow, is their offense terrible.
24. Raiders (24): By far the toughest division in football is going to make for a very long 2 1/2 months.
25. Falcons (25): A close win at home over the woeful Buccaneers does not a turnaround make, Mike Smith.
26. Rams (18): St. Louis can see what the end of its season looks like, and his name is Kellen Clemens.
27. Browns (20): How bad is Jason Campbell that he can’t beat out Brandon Weeden?
28. Texans (27): They still play hard (just ask the Chiefs), but the wheels are starting to come completely off.
29. Giants (31): A win is a win, but this one was so ugly it needed an asterisk.
30. Vikings (29): Maybe Greg Schiano wasn’t so wrong about Josh Freeman after all.
31. Buccaneers (30): Still doing their part to make pro football in Florida a laughingstock.
32. Jaguars (32): It’s Week 8, and they still haven’t scored a touchdown at home.