The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a world of hurt right now. They are 0-2 without starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the rest of the season. They find themselves on the road facing a San Francisco 49ers team that\u2019s all of the sudden pretty good. Can Mason Rudolph lead the Steelers to a surprise win or are they dropping to 0-3?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Steelers did not crumble after Ben Roethlisberger left the game last weekend against the Seattle Seahawks. In fact, the Steelers scored more points in the second half (16) without Big Ben than they scored in the first half, when he played against Seattle (10). The 28-26 loss was not primarily the responsibility of the offense or backup quarterback Mason Rudolph, who filled in for Roethlisberger. The Steelers\u2019 offense made plenty of plays, but the defense allowed the Seahawks to churn out several first downs late in the game and run out the clock. The Pittsburgh offense never did get a chance to own the ball down two points, when a field goal would have been able to win the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Put it this way: If the Steelers\u2019 offense scores 26 points against San Francisco, Pittsburgh will have an excellent chance of winning. And the defense should be improved with the mid-week addition of cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick. With Big Ben out, expect the Steeler defense to play inspired football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 49ers played the best game of the Kyle Shanahan era against Cincinnati. Sure, that was only the Bengals but the 49ers haven\u2019t looked anywhere near that good against any opponent in recent years. The 49ers tore apart the Bengals from the start and looked very seamless on offense, exactly what Shanahan and Niner fans dreamed of when he took the job. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo did not look good in the preseason, but that is ancient history now. He was spreading the ball around to his receivers and displayed great command of Shanahan\u2019s system as they compiled 571 yards of offense and scored 43 points. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On defense, this is an improved unit as first-round pick Nick Bosa leads all edge rushers \u2013 not just rookies \u2013 with 10 pressures through two weeks and linebacker free agent signing Kwon Alexander has been among the NFL\u2019s top defenders, according to Pro Football Focus. This is an underrated unit that gets a much easier task this week with Big Ben out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fact that the Steelers scored 26 points against a good defense \u2013 Seattle\u2019s \u2013 shows that Pittsburgh and Mason Rudolph might be undervalued here. However, I just don\u2019t see them going on the road and piling up the points against a very good 49ers unit. As for the Steelers, their defense has to carry the team the rest of the way. That starts on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Get the latest NFL football odds and information–follow BetOnline.ag on Twitter<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n