Pittsburgh Steelers Continue Troubling Trends

In two losses, the defending Super Bowl champs have given up a total of a single yard in the first quarter, which, coincidentally, is the same amount of yards they gained in the first quarter of their lone victory.   Contrast this with the number of yards the defense has yielded in the past two fourth quarters (268) and it’s no wonder the 2009 Steelers have the same record as—dare I say it—the 2006 Steelers after three games:  1-2.   On Sunday, the game early on looked like just another day in Cincinnati as the Steelers made the Bengals look like the Bengals for most of the first half.   For my money, Cincinnati made five egregious mistakes that the Steelers turned into a relatively flimsy 13-3 lead that on some days could have been something like 33-0.   The Bengals…   1. Failed to take advantage of a 50-yard opening kickoff return that fired up the crowd and set up a short field, going three-and-out quickly and brutal...