... absence of one player can't make that big of a difference, can it? If that one player is the dynamic Troy Polamalu it seems it can.

It didn't take long for Troy to make his presence felt and lift the Steelers defense back to a level it last reached back in 2008, which just happened to end with Pittsburgh hoisting the Lombardi trophy for a record sixth time.

There is a noticeable difference in the defense in the amount of huge plays they are making, most notably the turnovers they are generating. They lead the AFC with 12 takeaways, and that is a stark contrast to last season when the defense struggled at times to make game-changing plays.

T...

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