Pittsburgh Steelers: Top 5 Performers of September

September wasn't a particularly forgiving month for the boys in Black and Gold. After a hard-fought road loss in Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos debut, the Pittsburgh Steelers looked to get back on the right track by shellacking the New York Jets at home. 

But following a devastating road loss in Oakland, the Steelers now sit with more questions than answers.

All hasn't been bad in Pittsburgh, though.

The team has looked great offensively and should be getting some key players off the injury report in the next few weeks. So despite the 1-2 start, things look to be on the up-and-up.

With that said, let's take a look at the five best Steelers in the month of September.   

5. Heath Miller/TE

All offseason, one of the biggest needs some "experts" said the Steelers were in need of was a tight end. According to these people, Heath Miller was over the hill and too old to play the position. 

So far, he's proving everyone wrong. 

Miller has started the season with a bang, hauling in 15 balls for 129 yards. But his most telling stat comes from his red-zone presence. His four touchdowns tie him for the league lead with Vernon Davis, Scott Chandler and Andre Roberts, all of who have played four games to Miller's three.

I don't see any reason why Miller should slow down this season. The Steelers have clearly become a passing team, and he's their biggest and best red-zone threat. On a team packed with receiving talent, Miller will get his in every game.  

4. LaMarr Woodley/OLB

Oddly enough, as well as the Steelers offense has played this year, that's how bad their defense has been. Without All-Pro's Troy Polamalu and James Harrison, the team can't seem to get into any rhythm. 

That is, except for outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley. 

In three games so far, Woodley has piled up two sacks without getting any help from his supporting cast. 

Without Harrison on the field, it's easy for opposing offensive lines to key on Woodley as an attempt to nullify the team's pass rush. But the sixth-year linebacker from Michigan has actually played his best football with Harrison off the field.

Last year in the four games Harrison missed with an orbital bone injury, Woodley compiled 7.5 of his nine sacks.

Woodley seems to be playing at another level this year after coming off a season with a hamstring injury that held him back. If Woodley can keep this up, he'll be headed back to the Pro Bowl.  

3. Mike Wallace/WR

After a lengthy offseason holdout, many wondered how ready Mike Wallace would be for the start of the 2012 season. Well, Wallace has answered those critics with three pretty solid games. 

Wallace stands second on the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns from the receiving end. 

Wallace's average of 13.8 yards per catch is good for second on the team behind fullback/tight end Will Johnson who only has three receptions on the season, but he has yet to make the big plays we're accustomed to seeing. Wallace has a long play of 37 yards, but the Steelers line hasn't been able to give Ben Roethlisberger the time to get the ball deep. 

As he gets back into the football rhythm, Wallace will certainly become better and better as the season goes on. And that could be a scary thought for the Steelers' opponents. 

2. Antonio Brown/WR

Last season's team MVP picked up right where he left off in 2011. Antonio Brown has fired out of the gates, leading the Steelers in almost all major receiving categories such as receptions, targets and yards.

Brown's 80 yards per game places him 17th in the league right now, but that number should go up as Roethlisberger has found a great rapport with the third-year receiver.

Brown did have a few costly errors in the team's loss in Oakland, however. A fumble in the end zone nearly cost the Steelers a touchdown, while a later fumble after a routine catch gave the ball back to the Raiders and, in effect, gave Oakland the loss.

Antonio Brown has burst onto the Pittsburgh scene, and he doesn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. He's one of the main reasons the Steelers have been able to so smoothly make the transition to a passing team.

He'll most certainly be the top target for Ben Roethlisberger for the rest of the season.  

1. Ben Roethlisberger/QB

This one was an obvious choice. 

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is off to one of the best starts of his career and could be looking to garner some early MVP attention. 

Roethlisberger has thrown for over 900 yards and has a TD:INT ratio of 8:1. He's also completed 68 percent of his passes, and his 109.2 quarterback rating places him second in the league, only behind Matt Ryan. 

Ben is on pace to have a monster season, one the likes no Steeler fan has ever witnessed before. If he can keep this type of play up, the team will never be out of a game, even if the defense can't keep up.