If you are an NFL team with Super Bowl aspirations, having top-tier quarterback play is a must. Many pundits will bang the drum that defense wins championships but the league is built around the forward pass and if you cannot to that, your options become very limited.

Unfortunately, the quarterback position was the undoing of the Steelers season. Here’s how the quarterback position broke down last season.

Ben Roethlisberger-This was to be a transition season for Roethlisberger without his best receiving option in Antonio Brown. He threw for 276 yards in a loss to the New England Patriots in Week One. But an elbow injury in the second week of the season ended his season.

Now it is a waiting game for Roethlisberger and the Steelers to see if and when Big Ben will be healthy.

351 passing yards, 0 passing touchdowns, 1 interception

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 season didn’t end the way most wanted it. However, for many, just getting as far as they did was a success. The Steelers fell to the Baltimore Ravens in the final game of the season and left us with a bad taste in our mouths. The memories might not all be good but relive the team’s last game with this gallery.

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It ended as it began, with a three-game losing streak. In between the Pittsburgh Steelers went 8-2 and were a remarkable underdog story. But in the end it was all for naught as Pittsburgh missed the playoffs for a second straight season.

Now that we’ve had a few days to unpack all that was a tumultuous season on all levels, we wanted to talk about we feel now that the dust has settled.

When we saw Ben Roethlisberger go down with his elbow injury, we were sure the season was over. There was no way this team could remain competitive without Big Ben.

And when the team was 1-4, it seemed there was no hope. But then the team went on a tear going 7-1 and giving everyone a renewed feeling that this team could be a team of destiny.

Then a three-game losing streak to end the season literally ended the season. No playoffs for a second straight season and more questions than answers going into the offseason.

How do we characterize this season? Success or failure? This might not be the popular opinion but I view this season as a failure. It was an opportunity to beat the formula, prove that defenses can still win championships in a league dominated by offense and solidify head coach Mike Tomlin’s place in the league.

But you couldn’t beat the Jets. This will be the defining moment in the season for me. Losing to a woeful Jets team which took the path to the playoffs out of the Steelers hands was crushing. And for all the good things that happened last season, many which will be built on in 2020, the Jets game will be what I remember most.

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For all the bad surprises the Pittsburgh Steelers have gotten this season, the play of the defense has been a huge positive. Despite the losses of a franchise quarterback, star running back and wide receiver, then their replacements, this team is in the playoffs in large part because the defense is playing elite football.

What do we attribute this change to? Here at the big four reasons.

The Minkah effect

Ever since the Steelers traded their 2020 first-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, this defense has been on the rise. The deep plays that have plagued this group for years are a thing of the past and Fitzpatrick’s ability to generate turnovers has become infectious.