Sep 9, 2015 4 min read

There’s a lot of angst surrounding the Steelers and their defense, much of it based on both the team’s performance and how the unit looked in the preseason.

But some of that isn’t fair.

We only got small glimpses during the preseason of what the starting unit will look like today when the Steelers travel to New England to face the defending-champion Patriots.

Actually, we really didn’t get to see much of it at all.

Starting free safety Mike Mitchell logged just 22 plays in the preseason. Pro Bowl inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons played even less, seeing action only in the opener over a month ago. Second-year defensive end Stephon Tuitt didn’t play in the final two preseason games while resting a sprained ankle. Will Allen, who will start tonight against the Patriots over Shamarko Thomas at strong safety, started there just once in the preseason. Like Timmons, that came at Canton, Ohio, in the Hall of Fame Game.

The defense wasn’t good in 2014. But it wasn’t the worst defense in the league as some would have you believe.

The Steelers ranked 18th in both points and yards allowed last season. It wasn’t good enough, but it certainly wasn’t the worst, either.

The more troubling issues were a lack of sacks (33) and forced turnovers (21). Getting more of both this season will be critical for the Steelers, even if they again rank in the bottom half of the league in yards and points allowed.

Why is this being brought up?

To hear many people talk, if the Steelers allow 40 or 50 points to the Patriots tonight, it will be a sign of the apocalypse. It’s as if everyone forgets that we’ve seen better Pittsburgh defenses roll into Gillette Stadium only to have a big number up on the board by the Patriots.

The difference between those teams and this one is the key.

While previous Steelers teams weren’t built to run and gun with the Patriots, this one is. Even without suspended running back Le’Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant, it has the ability to play with the Patriots offensively.

That might not mean much tonight, but it might mean something down the line.

The Steelers defense is young across the board. And it’s also running some new defensive schemes, namely more Cover-2 and some 4-3 looks, which will take some time for the team to become accustomed.

The defense will be much better in December than it figures to be in September. Young guys such as Tuitt, inside linebacker Ryan Shazier and yes, even Jarvis Jones, will continue to get better. At least that’s the plan.

So even if the Steelers do lose this game, that means nothing if these two teams would happen to meet again this season.

However, the Patriots are 7-point favorites to beat the Steelers in this game for a reason. They are the defending Super Bowl champions, though they’ve undergone major changes in the offseason at corner, defensive tackle and running back.

And then there was the little distraction that quarterback Tom Brady dealt with throughout the offseason that wasn’t resolved until last week.

Yes, Brady will be happy that his league-mandated four-game suspension was nullified in court, but the 38-year-old obviously wasn’t as focused as usual in the preseason. He completed just 9 of 18 passes for 97 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

That doesn’t mean the Steelers will win this game. The Patriots are 9-0 at home in Thursday night openers to the season since the league started playing this game. And many of those games haven’t been close.

Take New England to cover in this one, 37-28, but it will be closer than many think.

F. Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com.