Byron Leftwich Injury: Broken Arm Puts Pittsburgh Steelers in a Bind

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When the Pittsburgh Steelers were without Ben Roethlisberger for the first four games of the season in 2010, they made do, going 3-1 in their star quarterback's absence.

They did this without backup Byron Leftwich and using a combination of Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon.

After Leftwich broke his left arm in Saturday's 34-16 preseason win over Atlanta, the Steelers may once again be in the same situation as last season if Roethlisberger doesn't stay healthy all year.

In that case, based on history, you would take 75 percent of the Steelers' games in 2011 and say that is how many games they would win if Roethlisberger suddenly went down.

Of course, we all know it's preposterous to think the Steelers would win 12 games with a tandem of Batch and Dixon under center.

That's why the Steelers should be worried about their backup situation at the moment. You can't just take their 3-1 start from last season and say that's how it would be if Roethlisberger went down.

Sure, any team that loses its starting quarterback is going to be hurting, but, certainly, some teams have better options under center.

The Steelers head into this season as the reigning AFC champions. But much has changed. The New England Patriots, for one, have jumped them in many NFL power rankings, and deservedly so. With signings such as receiver Chad Ochocinco and defensive end Shaun Ellis and a trade for former Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, the Patriots have a lot of talent this season.

Not only has the NFC dramatically improved this offseason, the Steelers have new challengers in the AFC (sorry Jets fans).

The loss of Roethlisberger would effectively shut down their Super Bowl chances. He's more important to the Steelers than their defense, and that's saying a lot.