Steelers at Packers Insider Perspective

Noah Strackbein of SI.com’s All Steelers gives the scoop on this week's opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have dropped two straight after an opening win.

With the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2) facing the Green Bay Packers, let’s go behind enemy lines with Noah Strackbein of SI.com’s All Steelers.

1. Ben Roethlisberger is back. He's had a hell of a career but is he good enough to make the Steelers a contender?

That's a tough one. It might not be whether or not he's good enough to make them a contender but rather if he's capable of picking up the slack around him. At age 39, without an offensive line, it's been tough for the Steelers to get anything going offensively. Running back Najee Harris, the team’s first-round pick, hasn't made the run game any better (and that's not on Harris), and the wideouts continue to have drop problems. Roethlisberger certainly isn't playing up to par, but his support staff has only made this worse, not better.

2. A look at the roster shows the offense should be pretty darned good. It's not. What's the issue(s)?

The offensive line. Each of the five starters have struggled this season without any sign things are improving. The pass protection has been fine; Roethlisberger has been the least-pressured quarterback in the league on a percentage basis, according to Pro Football Focus, though some of that is the reliance on short, quick passes. However, the blockers have been unable to get Harris in the open field so the 230-pounder can build up a head of steam.

Two rookies are in the starting lineup, third-round pick Kendrick Green at center and fourth-round choice Dan Moore at left tackle. The Steelers might get Zach Banner off injured reserve this week but, even if he's a better option than Chukwuma Okorafor at right tackle, he's not going to solve all the group’s problems. It doesn't look like there's light at the end of the tunnel as of now other than the young players improving through their growing pains.

3. The Steelers are synonymous for their defenses. And, sort of like the offense, there's a lot of big names. Assuming T.J. Watt is healthy, how good are they on that side of the ball? And how will they make life difficult for Aaron Rodgers?

The Steelers’ defense is one of, if not the best, when Watt is on the field. That being said, when he's not, it’s almost nonexistent. If the Steelers get Watt and fellow outside linebacker Alex Highsmith back this week, Aaron Rodgers’ job will become a lot harder. Watt alone has found the quarterback three times and forced two fumbles in five quarters of football this season. With Watt ranking second in the NFL with 45.5 sacks, firs with 104 quarterback hits and first with 18 forced fumbles since the start of the 2018 season, there's a reason why he's worth $112 million. Green Bay should be hoping he's not able to go in Week 4.

4. Mike Tomlin has been there forever. He's closing in on 150 wins. Two-part question: One, why has he been so successful and, two, is he on any sort of hot seat?

I'll answer the second part first. No. The Steelers organization is not looking to fire a coach that has two Super Bowl rings and no losing seasons. Anyone can say whatever they want about not winning playoff games recently, but every team outside of those with Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes seem to find it difficult to make it to the big game. It also goes into your first question. Tomlin has been so good because he has so much trust from the franchise and their players. Everyone in Pittsburgh knows Tomlin would never roll over when faced with a difficult season. He's constantly working to improve, and sometimes that process looks rough, but he seems to always figure it out.

As Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show: “Mike Tomlin has been there forever. ... I have a ton of respect for Mike. I think he's a fantastic coach. I love the way that he leads. I love the way that he talks after games. He always seems to keep things really even-keel. It looks like he's someone the players really love playing for.”

5. I know it's too early in the week to ask but who wins and why?

The Packers will win. Pittsburgh is still a hot mess right now and it's going to take something drastic to turn it around. That being said, if Watt and Highsmith are healthy, and if Banner and running back Anthony McFarland return from IR, this team is pretty different. At that point, anything can happen, but it feels like a longshot the Steelers will get all that good luck by Sunday.