On a day that featured Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 384 yards, it was the Pittsburgh Steelers' vaunted defense that became the story in a 34-31 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

The Pittsburgh Steelers needed a boost after a second straight loss to the conference rival Denver Broncos.  They got one, silencing their critics with a 27-10 smackdown of the upstart New York Jets.

Now Pittsburgh will look to replicate their success against New York in their Week 3 matchup against the Oakland Raiders.

Pittsburgh's D was its typical dominant self against the Jets, playing like an elite unit even without All-Pros LB James Harrison and S Troy Polamalu.

QB Ben Roethlisberger sliced up the vaunted Jets defense en-route to a three touchdown, 27-point performance by the Steel Curtain's offense.

In short, the Steelers looked dominant against the Jets, a team that blew out the new-look Buffalo Bills just one week prior.

Next week's matchup against the Raiders is one they should win. Oakland is clearly a team on the downswing (they lost seven starters from last season), and Pittsburgh's D should be able to overwhelm the middling Raiders offense.

Let's take a look at what Pittsburgh fans can expect from their team following their Week 2 blowout of the Jets.

After a fairly uneventful Week One for the replacement officials while the NFL and referees continue to squabble, Week Two saw some issues arise. The New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers were affected by some questionable calls that had an impact on the game and though they probably didn't change the ultimate outcome, are still a cause for concern moving forward. Calls went against both sides that caused some head scratching.
Phantom pass interference calls on Ike Taylor: The Jets benefited from two very questionable pass interference calls levied against Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor. The first came on the opening drive, and if anything maybe could have been justified as a defensive holding. Even that would have been a stretch, but instead a 12-yard penalty saved the Jets from facing a third down and 10 yards to go situation.

The second call came in the fourth quarter, with the Jets trailing 20-10 and starting out the drive on their own 20 yard line. The Jets offense was desperate for something to go right and on the very first play of the drive the officials handed it to them on a 19-yard pass interference call against Ike Taylor. Once again he was covering Santonio Holmes and once again there wasn't any pass interference. This time, there wasn't anything that even came close to being any type of foul.

The Jets ended up punting away and were unable to capitalize, but the ends doesn't justify the means here. That kind of call could have undone three-plus quarters of work by Pittsburgh Steelersto build a 10-point lead. Down the line, an iffy call could lead to scoring drive that changes the outcome of a game.

Isaac Redman fumble/tackled for loss challenge: On the next Steelers possession, the Jets challenged that running back Isaac Redman fumbled when he was tackled by safety Yeremiah Bell after a six-yard gain. Replays seemed to show the ball starting to come out prior to Redman's knee touching down, but it was a close call and another aspect of the review is more troublesome. When a play is reviewed, all parts of the play come under review, as pointed out by the CBS broadcasting crew of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms while the review was going on. CBS replays showed that Isaac Redman's knee touched the ground as the result of contact in the backfield, which should have put the Steelers in a second down and long situation.

Instead, the original ruling on the field was upheld and Pittsburgh Steelers faced second down and four yards to go, We have no way of knowing what the replay official was looking at, but it would appear that the start of the play wasn't reviewed, as it should have been. The Steelers went on to score a touchdown on that drive and went up 27-10. They very well could have done so if the play was ruled down in the backfield, but we didn't get a chance to see that scenario play out.

The ultimate outcome of the game wasn't changed by the actions of the officials – the Steelers were the better team on Sunday and deserved to win. The score, however, likely was impacted. There's a good chance the Jets don't score on their first drive without the help of the first pass interference call on Ike Taylor and the Jets would have been given a great opportunity to stall the Steelers if Isaac Redman was ruled down in the backfield.

The NFL's use of an on-field administrator (read: babysitter) to ensure penalty yardage is enforced correctly underscores the lack of trust the league has in the replacement officials. Consider this: the NFL doesn't trust these officials to follow through on things clearly spelled out in the rule book, but is being forced to trust them to make judgment calls that will ultimately impact final scores. It may be only a matter of time before the replacement officials are the difference between a win and a loss. In this league, that could be the difference between making and missing the playoffs. With four Wild Card teams having won the Super Bowl since 2000, that means an official's call could be the difference between a Super Bowl Championship and sitting at home during Wild Card weekend.

PITTSBURGH — The Jets may be far from clowns, but Rex Ryan’s team got this sobering dose of reality one week after a near flawless performance in the season opener: Gang Green is far from elite.

The Jets were thumped, 27-10, by the Steelers to crash back down to Earth after a feel-good start to the season.

Mark Sanchez started off on fire before going into a deep freeze. The Jets quarterback went for 4-for-5 for 80 yards and a touchdown on the Jets’ first drive, but looked shaky the rest of the way. He misfired on 14 of his next 17 passes before picking up a few more completions in garbage time.

Sanchez & Co. couldn’t take advantage of the absence of Pittsburgh’s best two defensive players, James Harrison and Troy Polamalu.The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, on the other hand, had a relatively easy day throwing against a defense missing Darrelle Revis, who was out with a concussion. Roethlisberger picked apart the Revis-less defense by completing passes to 10 different receivers.

The Steelers shut out the Jets in the second half after failing behind 10-6 early in the second quarter. Pittsburgh scored a pair of second-half touchdowns, including one that came on a back-breaking 10 ½ minute drive that culminated with a few minutes remaining in the game.

The Pittsburgh Steelers wasted little time to extend their 13-10 halftime lead.

The Jets committed a critical self-inflicted wound that cost them when LaRon Landry was flagged for a horsecollar tackle on 11-yard completion to Antonio Brown. Roethlisberger beat the Jets’ blitz on 3rd and 16 by lofting up a jump ball in the endzone for Mike Wallace, who got both feet in for the touchdown. Antonio Cromartie misjudged and slightly overran the pass that gave the Steelers a 20-10 lead in the third quarter.

The Jets’ second miscue of the quarter didn’t cost them. Jeremy Kerley, who had a punt return for a touchdown in Week 1, muffed a punt thatThe Pittsburgh Steelers recovered the Jets’ territory. But Mike Pettine’s unit forced a three-and-out on Pittsburgh’s ensuing drive.

A week after everything went right for Tony Sparano’s offense, the Jets only had four possessions in the first half en route to trail at intermission.

Gang Green mounted a pair of scoring marches on their first two drives before cooling off. Sanchez, who could do no wrong in the Week 1 blowout over the Bills, looked sharp on the first drive before missing Santonio Holmes on what would have been a touchdown on the next drive.

Roethlisberger was efficient against the Revis-less defense. He completed 13 of 16 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown in the first half.

The Jets felt Revis’ absence early. Roethlisberger completed all four of his passes on the opening drive to give the Steelers’ a quick lead. Garret McIntyre, who started for injured Bryan Thomas, and Kyle Wilson allowed fullback Will Johnson leak out of the backfield for a 26-yard catch and run that helped set up Shaun Suisham’s 45-yard field goal to give Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead.

The Jets answered with their only drive of the first quarter -- an impressive 90-yard touchdown march highlighted by Sanchez’s 45-yard pass to Jeremy Kerley. Sanchez fired a 14-yard touchdown strike to Santonio Holmes, who easily beat Ike Taylor on a quick slant to give the Jets a 7-3 lead.

Suisham’s second 45-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter cut the deficit to 7-6.

Sanchez & Co. got into the red zone on their second drive before settling for Nick Folk’s 38-yard field goal to give the Jets a 10-6 edge with 9:35 remaining in the second quarter.

Shonn Greene was shaken up after getting hit by Ryan Mundy on the second drive. Bilal Powell replaced him en route to 21 yards on the scoring drive.

After the teams traded 3-and-outs, The Pittsburgh Steelers took their first lead after an 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Roethlisberger had a pair of third-down conversions on the drive before he found Heath Miller for a one-yard touchdown to give the Steelers a 13-10 halftime lead.

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker James Harrison did not practice on Friday and are questionable for Sunday's game against the New York Jets.

Neither Polamalu, who is nursing a strained right calf, and Harrison, who is recovering from a minor procedure on his left knee, practiced this week. Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin typically does not let players who did not participate during the week play in the ensuing game.

Harrison, who hasn't suited up for a game since a playoff loss to Denver last January, said he ''felt great'' but allowed there's a risk in coming back too quickly. The knee has been bothering Harrison since minicamp and he underwent arthroscopic surgery on Aug. 15.

''What it comes down to is that there's no need to hurry up and rush yourself back and end up doing more damage so you have to deal with the injury for the rest of the season, instead of saying that you'll sit out a few weeks and get it back healthy rather than to go play a game, re-injure it,'' Harrison said.

Polamalu declined to speculate on his status but added while he could ''do mental repetitions on the sideline'' while watching the defense, it ''would be better to be on the field.''

The All-Pro has made 18 straight regular-season starts dating back to 2010.

Pittsburgh running back Rashard Mendenhall, who is recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered in the 2011 regular season finale against Cleveland, practiced all week but has been listed as doubtful while linebacker Stevenson Sylvester is out with a left knee injury.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to put pieces of their performance against quarterback Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos in the season opener together to know why they could not find firm grounds against the opposition, amid persistence of some of their players including QB Ben Roethlisberger that they need some time by avoiding playing against teams like Broncos in the immediate future to regain their lost rhythm.

Ben when asked if they would like to come back to Denver, he said no, and added:

"I'd like to say I hope we come back here, but I hope we don't. I hope they come back to our place because it's a nice advantage."

The Steelers lost the game 19-31 and safety Troy Polamalu believes it was because the team was not able to make just enough plays. He said:

"We just weren't making any plays - any significant plays. We weren't getting pressure. We weren't getting pass breakups. We just weren't making plays."

Defensive end Brett Keisel has a completely different opinion. He thinks:

"We just couldn't get to Peyton. He was getting the ball out quick."

Overall, the Steelers are finding it difficult to accept the reality that the Broncos outplayed them in all departments, and this also happened in the playoff game last year, when they had been ousted out of the season in a similar fashion.

It was expected the team would come on the field this year with some lessons learnt from their past season's defeat, but they seem to be as much confused now as were then.

It is reflective in the state of uncertainty the players have found themselves in that the team lacked a coordinated effort and even if they play a home game against the opposition the result would be the same, contrary to the ambitious hopes of win set by some players.

Coach Mike Tomlin knows the team failed in all departments, and especially the much-boasted transformation of offence was not much of a help. Ben looked nowhere near the performance by Peyton irrespective of the fact he is a well capable offence leader.

So while the team stands a chance of easy victories over some of the weaker oppositions, the coach needs some work to do to develop team chemistry. They are good analysts of their performance in individual capacities but lacked a coordinated effort on the field, and this needs to be worked out.

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Ryan Clark will be back. Maybe James Harrison too.

Still, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin thinks the two veteran defenders are hardly the cure-all for a defense that lacked a certain bite during Sunday's season-opening loss at Denver.

Yes, it'll be great to have Clark - who sat out the opener due to a sickle cell trait that flares up at high altitude - back for the home opener against the Jets. And Harrison's aching left knee was good enough to work out on Monday, leaving open the possibility the four-time Pro Bowler could suit up for the first time since January.

Good news to be sure. Just not a cure-all.

''Obviously, those guys are capable of helping us,'' Tomlin said. ''They're quality veteran players. They know how to play and, specifically in Ryan's case, not only his play but his communication and leadership. That remains to be seen and we're not going to assume anything. What we are going to do is focus on the healthy guys and get them prepared to play and, ultimately, expect them to play on the acceptable level.''

Something Tomlin thinks didn't happen enough against the Broncos, as Pittsburgh's Steelers defense - ranked No. 1 in yards against a year ago - struggled once Peyton Manning and the Broncos went to a no-huddle offense.

Tomlin, however, doesn't think the no-huddle ''taxed'' the Steelers so much as what happened when the ball was in play. Denver's offensive line controlled Pittsburgh's front seven in the second half, giving Manning all the time he needed to throw for 253 yards and a couple of touchdowns.

''The reality is that we didn't play well enough post-snap,'' Tomlin said. ''Forget about whether or not they huddle between plays, we've got full control over how we play once the ball is snapped and it wasn't up to snuff in many instances.''

Denver didn't dominate on the ground - averaging just 3.5 yards per carry - but ran it effectively enough with Willis McGahee to keep Pittsburgh Steelers coff balance. The Steelers sacked Manning twice in the first half and created an early turnover, but did little after halftime. The Broncos scored on their first three second-half possessions, and their fourth was a couple of kneel downs by Manning to end it.

There were bright spots defensively, particularly inside linebacker Larry Foote. The 11-year veteran moved into a starting role after the Steelers released James Farrior in the offseason and Foote responded with eight tackles, including a sack. Linebackers Chris Carter and Jason Worilds played capably while filling in for Harrison, with Worilds providing a sack of his own after missing the entire preseason while recovering from wrist surgery.

Neither Carter nor Worilds, however, are Harrison. Few linebackers in the league are. The 34-year-old has grown frustrated, however, by lingering knee issues and has grown so tiresome of the subject he's promised only to address it one day a week during the season.

Harrison called himself a ''game-time decision'' before the Broncos, but could only watch from the sideline in a yellow T-shirt and black shorts as the Steelers lost in Denver for the second time in nine months.

The Pittsburgh Steelers could certainly use him on Sunday against the Jets (1-0). New York exploded for 48 points while whipping Buffalo in its opener even with new acquisition Tim Tebow playing in a limited role. Tebow lit up Pittsburgh while beating the Steelers in the playoffs last winter as quarterback for the Broncos. He's firmly behind starter Mark Sanchez in New York, though Tomlin warned the Jets just showed ''the tip of the iceberg'' when it comes to their plans for the versatile Tebow this season.

While Harrison remains questionable, Pittsburgh expects right guard Ramon Foster and right tackle Marcus Gilbert to start against New York. Foster left the Denver game with what Tomlin termed an ''optical migraine'' while Gilbert hyperextended his left knee.

With the starting right side of the line sidelined, the Steelers had trouble running effectively behind replacements Doug Legursky and rookie Mike Adams, who also had serious issues in pass protection while giving up a late sack.

Pittsburgh hasn't started a season 0-2 since 2002, though that didn't stop the Steelers from finishing 10-5-1 and making it to the divisional round of the playoffs. The Steelers haven't even lost consecutive games since a five-game slide in 2009. They pride themselves on their resilience, but will need it against New York.

''This week is very important,'' running back Jonathan Dwyer said. ''Every week is important. The first didn't go as we wanted, but we are going to make sure we put ourselves in a better situation this week than we did last week.''

It looks like the knee injury to Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison is more serious than many thought. After not practicing for the second day in a row, Harrison has been ruled out for the Sunday night regular season opener versus the Denver Broncos.

Backup linebacker Chris Carter will start in place of the injured Pro Bowler. Carter has filled the void left by Harrison and second-string linebacker Jason Worilds throughout minicamp, training camp, and the preseason, taking reps with the first-team defense.

Harrison’s knee obviously didn’t react well to his first practice back this past Monday. Swelling in his knee reoccurred after trying to cut on it.

Having Harrison out of the picture for at least the first game of the regular season, more pressure will be put on linebackers Larry Foote, Lawrence Timmons, and LaMarr Woodley, along with the defensive line, to generate an effective pass rush against Peyton Manning and the Denver offense come Sunday night.

More importantly, the absence of the nine-year veteran will make Pittsburgh’s defense a little more vulnerable to a Broncos running game that led the NFL in rushing last season.

A few days ago, I revealed my predictions for the Steelers’ 2012 season, and I actually had them losing this game by the score of 24-20. This was mainly in part of not having safety Ryan Clark playing in this week’s game.

Now that Denver won’t have to worry about not one, but two Pro Bowlers on Pittsburgh’s defense, this just might make this game more favorable for the Broncos.

The early injuries to Pittsburgh’s roster will definitely affect their start of the season. This game on the road against Denver will challenge them without a doubt.

Unfortunately, I still do have the Steelers losing this game, but fortunately, the season is a marathon, not a sprint. Pittsburgh will definitely get back on track after this game.

Week 1 of the 2012 NFL season is upon us, and if you are a team whose starting lineup is set in stone, then count yourself lucky. Most teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers still have some decisions to make and there are only days to go. A big one for the Pittsburgh Steelers is who to start at running back. And recent information tells us it may just be Rashard Mendenhall.

Now, if there is anyone who is shocked more by this than me, I don’t know who it would be. I have said for the bulk of the offseason, I did not expect Mendenhall to be ready for the opening weekend, and would not be in the lineup until midseason. So imagine my surprise first when he is taken off the PUP list, which means he is eligible to play week 1, but now head coach Mike Tomlin has said today he has not ruled Mendenhall out to start this Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

Keep in mind, Mendenhall is coming off a torn ACL from last season, and should he start and play, he will have returned in a shorter period of time than Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has from his torn ACL. And people have called Peterson superhuman for such a return. What does that make Mendenhall?

Overall the Pittsburgh Steelers running back situation is tenuous. Mendenhall is coming off the knee injury and his primary backup Isaac Redman is dealing with a nagging groin injury of his own. The healthiest back on the depth chart right now is Jonathan Dwyer, which is saying something since he has struggled mightily to stay well in his short tenure in the league. Rookie Chris Rainey is dynamic and explosive but certainly not an every down, run between the tackles type of back, and the rest of the roster is filled with, well filler.

You put all this together and you have a situation where Tomlin may feel he has to rush Mendenhall back into the lineup, even if only as part of a committee of backs, to be sure to produce enough of a running game to complement the passing game.

But I disagree with this strategy. The NFL season is long. And often times, it’s a matter of attrition as to who wins. The team that can field the greatest number of healthy bodies during the playoffs has a decided advantage over those who are just too beat up to compete. By putting Mendenhall out there week 1, you might improve your chances of winning against the Denver Broncos, but does the risk of him being more hurt by the middle of end of the season outweigh the reward of having him on the field for 18-20 snaps on Sunday?  Or is this all just a smoke screen to give the Broncos something to think about?

Ultimately I have faith in coach Tomlin and what he will decide.  At this point I think we will all have to deal with the 2 words no fan ever wants to hear. “Gametime decision”. But I have to eat my words from earlier in the year when I thought there was no chance Mendenhall would be ready this quickly. And once they start popping pads on Sunday we might find out he’s not.

What do you think Steelers fans? Who do you think the Steelers should start at running back? Should Mendenhall or even Redman play or should the team hold them back to be more healthy for division play? Let me know what you would do.