Should the Steelers worry?

Things were looking great for the Steelers entering the 2009 NFL season. Coming off an incredible Super Bowl win, the team looked as strong as ever, having kept most of the pieces from last year’s team.

With Ben Roethlisberger back for another year, a strong group of wide receivers and a trio of running backs that continued to develop (especially in the cases of Mewelde Moore and Rashard Mendenhall), things were looking very good for the Steelers. For this reason, many football fans considered the Pittsburgh Steelers the team to beat in 2009, making them the favorites to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

During a nice week 1 win at home, the Steelers got past the Tennessee Titans, one of the best in the AFC in 2008. This was a defensive game and, in typical Steelers fashion, the team essentially got past the Titans at the start of the season. on a big note with a 1-0 start.

During this game, veteran and Pro Bowl defender Troy Polamalu suffered an injury that will sideline him for an estimated 3-6 weeks. This is a blow to the Steelers, and perhaps more than anyone expected.

The team lost its week 2 game to a Bears team that looked like a week 1 disaster in Green Bay. The Steelers not only lost this game, but the defense didn’t record a single sack, interception, or fumble recovery. I don’t know when was the last time this happened, but I’m sure it’s been a long time.

Does the absence of Troy Polamalu hurt the team so much? We’ll have to wait and see.