NFL Picks Week 4: Can the Pittsburgh Steelers Right the Ship vs. Houston Texans?

To say the Pittsburgh Steelers are struggling since their Super Bowl loss would be an understatement.

After being blown out 35-7 in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens, things seemed to be looking up when they blanked the Seattle Seahawks in the second week.

However, their weaknesses were again exposed last Sunday night against a winless Indianapolis Colts squad that otherwise couldn't scare anyone.

This week, the Steelers travel to Houston to take on the surging Texans, and it's a major test for the team if they want to be taken seriously as playoff contenders this year.

The accusations of yet another "Super Bowl Hangover" are surrounding the team, considering that every season after a championship appearance in the Ben Roethlisberger era has seen the team missing the playoffs. But, it's not as simple nor as convenient as evoking a tired phrase.

Yes, we are all aware of former player and NFL analyst Warren Sapp's comments after the Ravens' loss that the Steelers defense is "old, slow and over," but it's simply not true. While the defense, on average, is one of the oldest in the league, that's not a problem.

They just can't stop the run like they used to, and it's not for age or lack of talent. The Steelers boast one of the best linebacker corps in the league, but teams have found a way to beat them on the ground; they are giving up an average of 4.61 yards per carry.

This is going to be a major issue against the Texans this week, with running back Arian Foster returning from his hamstring injury and Ben Tate being more than capable of tearing up a defense on his own.

And the Steelers, while ranked No. 7 in overall pass defense, still struggle at cornerback and safety Troy Polamalu continues to over-pursue both passers and receivers, costing the team sacks and giving up big plays.

The stat is more indicative of the Seahawks' and Colts' struggles to successfully throw the ball than it is of the Steelers' efficacy against the pass. This could potentially be exposed this week against the Texans, with their deadly quarterback-wide receiver tandem of Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson.

At the same time, the Steelers appear to have a number of issues on offense, but it boils down to just one—the offensive line. For season after season, Pittsburgh has been able to field an oft-thrown-together crew of linemen and still play dominantly well into the postseason.

Now, the line is in its worse shape in recent memory. Left tackle Jonathan Scott, questionable for Sunday, was ineffective in providing protection for either the running game or Roethlisberger against the Colts.

Right tackle Marcus Gilbert, a rookie, is still trying to master his role and had to leave the game with a shoulder injury only to re-enter when Scott went down with an ankle sprain. Right guard Doug Legursky has a shoulder injury as well.

And Ramon Foster and Trai Essex, backups on the right side, just aren't good enough, which surely says a lot considering the low quality of play from the starters.

Put this together, and Roethlisberger (a quarterback not unfamiliar with constant pressure, and one of the best in the league at evading it) has had even less time to get passes out, and running back Rashard Mendenhall has been held to just 148 yards through three games and is averaging a dismal three yards per carry.

Running lanes aren't opening up for Mendenhall, and with that, the Steelers have had to rely on the passing game even more than they'd like to.

While they've had some success with this—the Steelers, after all, have an impressive cadre of receivers to assist Roethlisberger's efforts—it reduces the Pittsburgh offense to one dimension. And when that happens, it's far easier for opposing defenses to succeed.

It's going to be a major uphill battle for the defending AFC champs on Sunday, one they need to win if they are going to be considered a dominant team in 2011. So far, the Steelers are 2-1, but haven't beaten a good team; in fact, they most recently struggled against one of the worst in the league, on national television.

It's not just the games you win, but the teams you beat that earns respect in the NFL. If the Steelers can only muster wins against the dregs while being dominated by the good ones, there's no way they can remain in the discussion of the NFL's best.

While I hold out hope that the Steelers are capable of returning to the league-annihilating form to which we've all grown accustomed, they certainly have much more work to do to beat the Texans than the Texans do to beat Pittsburgh.

If they do win, then it will be a good sign that the Steelers have perhaps suffered from a down month, but that their problems can in fact be fixed. Because it's only Week 4, and winning is not going to get any easier.