Through three games, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a 2-1 record, good enough for a share of the AFC North lead. Their 23-20 win against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night proved harder than expected--Pittsburgh needed a fumble return for a touchdown and a field goal with four seconds remaining to avoid losing to hapless Indianapolis--but it's a win nonetheless. Pete Prisco, CBS's senior NFL columnist, even saw fit to move the Steelers up from last week in his NFL power rankings, but just barely.
Prisco ranked the Steelers 10th last week and has them at 7th following the win at Indianapolis. His take, though, is that Pittsburgh, like the rest of the so-called "power teams," has had its flaws exposed so far this season. He points the finger not at running back Rashard Mendenhall--averaging just three yards per carry so far, with one rushing touchdown--but instead at the Steelers' offensive line. "The offensive line issues have to be remedied," he says. "It won't be easy to do that at Houston this week."
In a way, struggling this early in the season can benefit a team in the long run, as it gives teams a strong indicator of what they need to address in order to improve. "The teams that fix their issues best coming out of October will be sitting pretty," Prisco writes. If the Steelers can toughen up their offensive line, they'll indeed be in great shape.