Things were looking very good for the Steelers entering the 2009 NFL season. Coming off an incredible Super Bowl victory, the team looked as strong as ever, having kept most of the pieces from last year’s team.

With Ben Roethlisberger back for another year, a strong receiving group and a trio of running backs that continued to develop (especially in the cases of Mewelde Moore and Rashard Mendenhall), things were looking very good for the Steelers. For this reason, many football fans considered the Pittsburgh Steelers the team to beat in 2009, making them favorites to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

During a nice Week 1 win at home, the Steelers topped the Tennessee Titans, one of the best in the AFC in 2008. This was a defensive game, and in typical Steelers fashion, the team essentially outscored the Titans. at the start of the season. on a great note with a 1-0 start.

During this game, veteran and defending Pro Bowl Troy Polamalu suffered an injury that will sideline him for an estimated 3-6 weeks. This is a blow for the Steelers, and perhaps more than anyone expected.

The team lost their week 2 game to a Bears team that looked like a mess in week 1 in Green Bay. The Steelers not only lost this game, but the defense did not record a single sack, interception or fumble recovery. I don’t know when this last happened, but I’m sure it’s been a long time.

Does the absence of Troy Polamalu do that much damage to the team? We’ll have to wait and see.