The Pittsburgh Steelers looked dreadful yet again in week 2. This time it was on full display against division rivals Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. Their run game is non-existent and their former number one defense is falling apart. The Steelers lost a lot of playmakers in the offseason including deep threat receiver Mike Wallace and tough linebacker James Harrison. On top of that, reliable tight end Heath Miller is out and the offensive line has not been working together. The worst being the absence of center Maurkice Pouncey who is out for the season with a torn ACL. Many teams are dealing with injuries, but the Steelers are really hurting in every department.
Their top receiver, Emmanuel Sanders, only had five catches for 78 yards against the Bengals which is no where near what other top receivers are producing. However, that is the farthest of the Steelers problems. The running game is atrocious, but it also is a lack of protection from the offensive line. Big Ben is the most sacked quarterback and last night he hit the ground twice. While on the other side, Bengals’ quarterback Andy Dalton had a very pressure free night with no sacks. With names like Polamalu and Roethlisberger still on the team, I do not think anyone predicted the Steelers to fall so far from the top.
While no team wants to start 0-2, the Steelers do not find themselves in the worst situation possible. Nobody in their division is better than 1-1 so they are only one game out of first place. The Ravens had a terrible Week 1, but may have lost more in Week 2 with the possibility of an injury to running back Ray Rice. The Browns still have a lot of holes to fill with their team and will likely not be a playoff team this year. The Steelers will need to do a lot of work in order to get back to the playoffs, which they missed last year as well. Roethlisberger has to hoping and praying to get his tight end back next week. The Steelers face the Chicago Bears who are 2-0 and will really test their offensive line. It will be a tough game for the Steelers and it is not impossible to see this team go 0-3.
