Steelers: Can offenses win championships?

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense has been one of the most explosive in the league for the past few years, but an inadequate defense has held them back. The common phrase has been that defense wins championships, but is it possible for a prolific offense like Pittsburgh’s to lead them to the promised land?

With quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at the helm coupled with an unlimited supply of exciting weapons, the Steelers offense has been one of the most consistent and truly unsolvable monsters the NFL has to offer.

With the beast continuously growing, most recently with the signing of the budding tight end Ladarius Green, the offense has proven unbeatable when healthy.

If last year was any indication, especially knowing the offense was never complete, Pittsburgh should be looked at as a serious competitor.

The only issue is, and all fans of the black and gold know this, the defense is just dreadful.

The Steelers were always a team built around defense up until recently, and as it’s been proven over the years, defense is vital for those who wish to contend.

Ben Roethlisberger and his crew have clawed their way to the playoffs two years in a row, and have only been held back by injuries to stare at the wrong times. It’s hard to say how far Pittsburgh would’ve gone in 2014 with Bell in the line up or 2015 had Antonio Brown been healthy enough.

But despite the star studded offense, it’s hard to be successful in this league without a defense to help out, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

The Denver Broncos, over the past few years, have been a prime example of why it’s important to value defense over offense. Back in 2013, Peyton Manning led one of the greatest offensive runs in NFL history breaking records left and right, and leading his team to the Super Bowl that season.

However, the offense was shut down, and the Broncos were embarrassed in what ended as a 43-8 blowout against a Seattle Seahawks team with the best defense in the league. The battle of the best offense and the best defense resulted in the defense obliterating the supposed unstoppable offense.

This year, the team managed to make it to the promised land once again. This time, they wouldn’t make the mistake from years ago, and relied on a defense that was deemed best in the league. Having turned things around, they found the victory they sought out for, and proved that defense was truly the necessity in football, especially with an aging quarterback, and a not so stellar offense as a whole.

Of course, the Steelers aren’t the same team as the 2013 Broncos. The offense may actually be more explosive, and they haven’t been on the wrong end of a blowout in quite a while. That being said, it’s not promising that so many Super Bowl winners have been led their by stout defenses.

In the end, it’s not impossible for offenses to win championships, but the phrase, “defense wins championships”, is known for a reason, and the Steelers will need some sort of defensive help if they wish to take the crown in 2016.

However, If any offense is capable of leading their team to Super Bowl glory, it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers.