2010 NFL Predictions: Pittsburgh Steelers

June 30, 2010

Just one year removed from winning the Super Bowl against the Arizona Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Steelers failed to make the playoffs. The AFC North has become one of the best in all of football. The Cincinnati Bengals had a remarkable regular season prior to being upended in the first round of the playoffs. The Bengals contributed to Pittsburgh’s absence from the post-season as they took both games against them in 2009.

Perhaps the main reason for the Steelers poor season was due to the loss of their defensive leader Troy Polamalu. Polamalu missed a total of 11 games last season due to nagging injuries. The Steelers went 5-7 without him. He is considered the best safety in the league, and perhaps the best defensive player in the NFL. Not having his presence on the field is a let-down for the defense, and gives a boost of confidence to the opposing offense. He looks to be back at full strength for the upcoming season, but only time will tell if he can get through the grueling NFL schedule without re-injuring himself.

Pittsburgh’s defense is still one of the best in the league. They finished 5th in total defense last season, and have the majority of their starters back this season. They strengthened their depth defensively via the draft as they selected 2 defensive ends, a cornerback, a linebacker and a defensive tackle. Jason Worilds was their second pick overall, and should help them right out of the gate to get more pressure on the opposing quarterback.

Despite Ben Roethlisberger’s difficulties off the field, he’s become one of the best leaders in the NFL on the field. Big Ben had by far his best season throwing the ball in 2009 as he completed 66.6 percent of his passes for 4328 yards and 26 touchdowns. His quarterback rating of 100.5 was amongst the league leaders last year. However, he will not come anywhere close to putting up those types of figures in 2010 as he will begin the season serving a 4-6 game suspension at the discretion of the commissioner. Back up QB Byron Leftwich is in all likelihood the candidate to start those early games unless he’s beaten out by either Charlie batch or Dennis Dixon during the pre-season. Hopefully the Steelers defense will make it so that the offense doesn’t have to do too much until Roethelisberger is ready to come back.

The running back position looks to be in good hands with Pittsburgh’s 2008 first round pick Rashard Mendenhall. Mendenhall went down early in his rookie year with a broken shoulder blade, but showed why he was selected in the first round as he rushed for 1108 yards in 2009. He quickly took over the starting job from Willie Parker (week 4), and never looked back. Now that Parker is no longer on the team, Parker will have to carry the load on his own. The rest of the Steelers running back group is filled with relative unknowns with little experience. It is extremely important that Mendenhall stay healthy as the entire offense will be in jeopardy without him.

Despite losing their top receiver (Santonio Holmes), Pittsburgh is in good shape with their receiving corps. Hines Ward had another standout season in 2009 as he caught 95 passes for 1167 yards and 6 touchdowns. The addition of Antwaan Randle El gives Pittsburgh another high profile target for Roethlisberger to throw to. Mike Wallace and tight end Heath Miller round out what should be a productive group this year.

Overall the Vegas oddsmakers have the Steelers as a 10-1 to win the AFC. This number may seem high, but considering their start quarterback will be out for 4-6 weeks it’s extremely low. Many football experts believe that if the Steelers can get though Roethlisberger’s suspension with a .500 record they will be in excellent shape to make get to the playoffs, and make a run at another Super Bowl.

Written by Glenn Andrew · Filed Under NFL

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