Ben Roethlisberger is crushing opponents heads with that distance-perspective thingy that people do. Photo by Jason Bridge—USA TODAY Sports
The Steelers came into the season as nobody's sexy choice to contend for the AFC title. They would have had to fight through suspensions and injuries to practically all of their vaunted offensive talent, not to mention overcoming a defense that shares almost nothing but uniforms in a unit that finished first in points allowed in 2010 and 2011. And you know what? It looks like they might actually be doing it.But after two games against defending division winners—Washington and the Cincinnati Bengals, the latter of which won the Steelers' AFC North—the Steelers have outscored their opponents 62-32. Not too shabby. Not too shabby at all. Plus, they haven't had Le'Veon Bell, Martavis Bryant, and Markus Wheaton at their disposal.Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, whose plan to rejuvenate himself by losing 15 pounds or so seems to be working, didn't have a banner day against the tough Bengals defense. He completed just 51.4 percent of his passes, and threw two interceptions. But he also racked up 259 yards and three touchdowns along the way.More surprisingly, 33-year-old DeAngelo Williams continues to be the Benjamin Button of tailbacks. His 68 touches and 303 all-purpose yards in the first two games of this season both rank No. 2 all-time among running backs in their 30s, per Pro Football Reference.The defense wasn't expected to be fantastic, not with as many questions in the secondary as there were. But while the Steelers have allowed 796 total net yards over the first two games, they've only allowed 32 offensive points—thanks to four forced turnovers and an allowed third-down conversion rate of just 26.9 percent.As this win proves, the Steelers defense doesn't need to match up to the Steel Curtain units of yore in order for Pittsburgh to win the AFC North and challenge for a return to the Super Bowl. If the defense just gets key stops and flips the field a couple of times, Roethlisberger and company will have no problem closing it out.If that's not enough for you to grab a towel and start spinning it, just wait until the Steelers get Bell and Wheaton back.
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