Pittsburgh Steelers: Five Lessons From Week One

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The Pittsburgh Steelers' can win without Ben Roethlisberger. The team certainly doesn't fire on all cylinders without him, but they have enough in the tank to win.

The win against the Atlanta Falcons was less than dominating. Without its $100 million signal-caller, it was still an impressive win against a playoff-caliber team.

The following five slides will explore what Steelers' Nation learned about the team during week one.

Troy Polamalu

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Troy Polamalu is back. When he's healthy, the Steelers' defense is a much better unit.

Many offensive coordinators will have to game plan around Troy this season. He is the man that brings the swagger to the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense. If he can string 15 games like the one against the Atlanta Falcons, he might just bring home a Defensive Player of the Year award.

Troy leads a defensive unit that could be every bit as dominating as the 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers' defense.

Dennis Dixon

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Dennis Dixon is no Ben Roethlisberger, but he got the job done. He didn't make any mistakes that cost the Steelers the game. But he still needs to work on his ability to read defenses.

Atlanta effectively game-planned against his ability with his feet. Fans can expect to see other teams follow this blue print. As long as Dixon continues to minimize mistakes, Pittsburgh has a chance to win each game while Roethlisberger is gone.

Rashard Mendenhall

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Rashard Mendenhall is fast. When he gets to the second level of a defense, he is a threat to take the rock to the house. He could lead the team to a return to Pittsburgh Steelers' football.

This season, Mendenhall has the chance to emerge as one of the elite running backs in the league. So far he hasn't disappointed.

Hines Ward

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Hines Ward is ageless. For several seasons NFL pundits claimed Ward's age is going to catch up to him. Yet Hines Ward keeps putting up impressive numbers with no sign of slowing down.

Ward is one of the best receivers in the league right now. He has several career milestones in his sight such as 1,000 career receptions. Ward is making his case to be enshrined in Canton when he retires. Whenever that will be.

The Offensive Line

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The Steelers offensive line is better than its reputation would suggest. While far from perfect, the o-line opened holes for Mendenhall and provided adequate protection for Dixon. This is not last year's Steeler line.

Unfortunately, with an injury to Max Starks the line will need to overcome even more adversity to shake the reputation that precedes it.