It’s fair to say through at least the vast majority of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ greatest success, both in the 1970s and in the 2000s, the primary catalyst for their ability to remain on top rested on the fact that they played very good defense. The second half of their 70s dynasty may have become more balanced with the offense beginning to shoulder the load, but generally speaking, in Pittsburgh, defense won them championships.
And if that’s the rule that must be followed in order to get it done for the Steelers, then it’s hard to be confident in their prospects for 2019 as we sit here today, coming off of a season in which they went 9-6-1 in very large part because the defense failed to hold leads in the majority of their losses or ties.