Pittsburgh Steelers Will Need Offense to Carry the Load for 2nd Straight Year

September 15, 2015   ·   Andrea Hangst   ·   Jump to comments

The Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive struggles, which were on display in training camp and the preseason, continued in their regular-season opener, a 28-21 loss to the New England Patriots. The final score was close but not indicative of just how poorly Pittsburgh's defense performed.
That's because, much like in 2014, the defense was bailed out by the Steelers' top-notch offense. And it's a trend that may have to continue throughout the season if Pittsburgh wants to remain the top team in the AFC North and be competitive while slogging through the toughest schedule in the league.
What happened on Thursday wasn't as bad as the Steelers' big loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 3 of the preseason, during which Pittsburgh's defense—from the first-stringers on down—gave up nearly 600 yards of total offense. But there were shades of that game to be seen.
From the 361 yards allowed to the Patriots—including 281 in the air—to the Patriots offense g...

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