Pittsburgh Steelers: Turnovers at Core of Team's 0-4 Start

Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports Images

The Pittsburgh Steelers are, without debate, one of the most storied franchises in the NFL. From the days of Franco Harris to their Super Bowl runs with Ben Roethlisberger, they have long been a gritty, hard-nosed team that gets the job done and is a team that you don’t exactly want to be up against.

At 0-4 thus far into the 2013 season, though, the Steelers are a shell of the teams that brought the franchise into the pantheon of great organizations in the league. Their defense hasn’t been able to stop anyone and, possibly even more glaringly, their offense has been incredibly inconsistent with their ability to move the ball and put points on the board.

When it comes to trying to pin-point Pittsburgh’s biggest problem this season, though, you need look no further than how turnovers have affected their play.

As far as the Steelers turning the ball over goes, Roethlisberger has had real trouble with giving the ball to the other team, particularly as of late. Overall this season, Big Ben has thrown five interceptions this season and has a lost fumble to his name as well. As a whole, the Steelers have committed 11 turnovers as a team this season.

However, possibly the biggest problem with this team is the fact that they haven’t created any turnovers. That’s not hyperbole either; the Steelers legitimately haven’t forced a turnover yet this season. You can call that bad luck to some degree, but at a certain point it’s just a defense’s lack of ability to take the ball away from opponents.

To be honest, I’m not sure what the fix is for Pittsburgh’s turnover problems. Perhaps getting some help on the offensive line in Levi Brown will give Roethlisberger the time to make better decisions and not have to try and extend plays as often. Perhaps the ball will start bouncing or being thrown their way when their on defense. What I do know is that this is a major issue for the Steelers and things aren’t going to get better if it doesn’t turn around.

Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google and like his Facebook page.