Nov 25, 2017 4 min read

In the span of just a few days last week, Steelers Nation went from panicked to jubilant after Pittsburgh squeaked by Indianapolis and four days later destroying Tennessee.

Such is life with a fanbase that doesn’t seem to trust a team that has won 17 of its past 20 games.

Despite that record, fans get upset when the Steelers don’t blow out teams or they “play down to an opponent.”

It’s never a consideration that the opponent plays up to the level of the Steelers.

With Steelers fans, it’s always about failures, even ones that date back dozens of years.

That’s why we always hear about coach Mike Tomlin’s teams “always losing to lesser opponents, especially on the road.”

They did lose some games to teams with losing records in previous years, such as at Oakland and Tennessee in 2012 or at Oakland and Cleveland in 2013.

But guess what? Those weren’t very good Steelers teams. There was a reason they were 8-8 in both of those years. And it began and ended with a defense in transition.

Those teams have little in common with this one other than the hypocycloids on the side of the helmet.

Look at the game last week against Tennessee as an example. No, not because the Titans are a bad team. They aren’t.

But their defensive coordinator, Dick LeBeau, was the Steelers’ defensive coordinator from 2004 through 2015. Though LeBeau has been gone for two seasons, the defense the Steelers put on the field against the Titans included only five starters who had been coached by him.

The Steelers have completely reworked their defense in a matter of two seasons, adding nose tackle Javon Hargrave, cornerbacks Artie Burns, Joe Haden, Coty Sensabaugh and Mike Hilton and linebacker T.J. Watt. And young players such as Stephon Tuitt, Ryan Shazier and Bud Dupree have developed since LeBeau left.

And it’s the defense, which enters the game tonight against the Green Bay Packers ranked fourth in yards allowed and second in points allowed. It also ranks second in sacks with 34 and has allowed an average of 58 rushing yards per game since giving up 231 in a Oct. 8 loss to Jacksonville.

The defense does allow an occasional big play, such as a 75-yard touchdown pass to the Titans to open the second half, but it’s been incredibly stingy overall despite an occasional lapse.

The question among fans, however, is, is it good enough to beat the New England Patriots? We’ll find that out Dec. 17 when New England plays at the Steelers in what is shaping up as a meeting for the top seed in the AFC playoffs.

But know this: New England has played only two defenses this season ranked in the top 10 in the league – Carolina and Denver.

The Patriots spanked the Broncos a couple of week ago, but that was as much about the ineptness of Denver’s offense and special teams – two turnovers and a 103-yard kick return allowed – as it was about New England. Carolina, meanwhile, handed the Patriots one of their two losses, at home where both New England defeats have occurred. And in that game, the Panthers simply outscored the Patriots, winning 33-30. The Panthers punted only once in that game while forcing the Patriots to do so three times.

The Steelers are tied for fifth in the league in third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert only 33 percent. So, if it’s all about beating the Patriots – and the Steelers are likely going to have to do so at least once to get to the Super Bowl – this defense gives them a chance. That is, the offense comes along for the ride.

That’s why the win over the Titans was so big. Not only did the Steelers have another big defensive game – five sacks and four interceptions for the first time since 1984 – they also topped 30 points for the first time this season.

If that makes fans feel a little better about this team, so be it.

But the defense has been a constant. It hasn’t allowed more than 18 offensive points in regulation all season. And that is typically something that plays well no matter the locale.