Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Indianapolis Colts: Why Steelers Have Reason to Worry

The Steelers survived what would have been a devastating loss against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night. They got the win, but by no means should the Steelers feel comfortable about where their team is at. 

Firstly, it looks like they are going to have more issues along the offensive line this year. Freeney and Mathis nearly won that game by themselves as they bullied the Steelers tackles all night long. The Colts stuffed Mendenhall and the team's running game, too.

On top of that, their guys just simply can't stay healthy. Once again, Pittsburgh had to utilize their entire offensive line depth chart due to injuries. 

No matter how good or bad the Steelers are from year to year, one thing about them is consistent: the run defense.

However, in this game, it appeared as if the Colts and Steelers somehow switched run defenses. You would think a smaller, more athletic offensive line would struggle to move the ball on the ground, especially without the threat of a dynamic passing attack. Even so, the Colts ran the ball pretty well. Looking at the run defense's performance in this game, as well as in the opener against the Ravens, there are certainly some concerns in this area. 

With the exception of the one sack by James Harrison, the vaunted Steelers pass rush was non-existant for most of the game. What's more, this was against a pretty average offensive line for the Colts. Even Harrison's sack came against rookie Anthony Costanzo. Until that point, Harrison has been a shadow of himself so far this season.

Combine these problems with the fact that they almost lost a game to an offense led by Curtis Painter, who had a 9.8 career quarterback rating before entering the contest, and there is a lot of uneasiness in Pittsburgh. Perhaps it may be age, as age in the NFL creeps up on players without much warning. 

The most alarming part of this game is that this team did not look like the Steelers we have come to recognize under Mike Tomlin. There is a lot of work that needs to be done in Pittsburgh if they want another shot to get back to the Super Bowl.