When Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger addressed the media on Wednesday, he had to defend his offensive teammates and their struggles early in the season.

Which is exactly what Roethlisberger did. In Roethlisberger’s opinion, this group still believes in each other and in his words, feels like the offense is close.

Close to what exactly? Close to not being the worst rushing team in the NFL? That’s good I suppose. Close to not having a paltry 5.5 yards per attempt in the passing game? I guess that’s progress.

But the reality is, this offense isn’t close. Not close to being as dynamic as its parts would lead you to believe it can be. It’s not close to taking the burden off a banged-up defense.

The Steelers get their next test on Sunday when this offense will try to keep pace with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.