The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't looked spectacular in the early going, but they are doing what Mike Tomlin's Steelers usually do, win slightly more than they lose. Sunday's 21-14 win over New England allowed the Steelers to improve to 2-1 over their first three games, but the teams they've beaten (the Patriots and the 0-3 New York Jets) won't exactly strike fear into the hearts of NFL fans.
It is also fair to point out that the Steelers could have lost both of those games as well. The Jets made a slew of mistakes down the stretch in Week 1, allowing Rodgers to get revenge on their front office with four touchdown passes, while New England turned the ball over five times to short-circuit their chance of a win after becoming the third straight team to move the ball at will on Pittsburgh's highly-paid defense.
Aaron Rodgers may need to carry the Steelers
The idea for Rodgers when he signed in Pittsburgh was to be a steadying presence on a team that was built to win now behind a signature defense and a good running game. The addition of D.K. Metcalf in place of the mercurial George Pickens was also supposed to provide a bona fide top target for Rodgers, theoretically making his life easier after playing through a dumpster fire in East Rutherford last season.
That hasn't happened as one of the most underrated developments in the NFL is the rapid decline of Pittsburgh's defense. The 2-1 record is masking a lot of flaws for the Steelers, who are giving up 386 yards per game, including almost 140 on the ground. That kind of defensive effort isn't going to be good enough to win, even with Rodgers putting up solid numbers in his first three games.
There is also a bit of deceptiveness with Rodgers' strong start, as taking out the Jets' game means he has thrown three touchdowns and three interceptions in his last two starts. The overall numbers look solid, but a closer look at the game tape shows Rodgers having a tough time dealing with pressure and making some bad decisions with the football that he will pay for against stronger opponents.
The fact that Cincinnati is essentially cooked without Joe Burrow buys some time for the Steelers to resolve their issues and make a postseason push, where they are still the biggest threat to Baltimore in the AFC North. The problem is that their level of play has gotten worse this season, so another .500-ish season appears to be in the offing unless some of the Steelers' higher-paid stars (especially on defense) live up to their ability the rest of the way.