The Pittsburgh Steelers survived Sunday's game against the St. Louis Rams with a 2-1 record, despite losing Ben Roethlisberger to a sprained MCL , but can they tread water long enough for their two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback to return from the injury in 4-6 weeks and lead them back to the playoffs? The Steelers face a difficult road for the next five weeks before midseason home games against the Oakland Raiders and Cleveland Browns offer a respite leading into their Week 11 bye. Beginning with Thursday's quick turnaround in an always tough game against the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens — even if they are 0-3 — Pittsburgh then travels to San Diego for a Monday night showdown against the Chargers, hosts the unbeaten Arizona Cardinals, faces the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium and welcomes the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals to town. That's not an easy stretch, even with a healthy Roethlisberger. Instead, the Steelers will be embarking on that road with a 35-year-old Michael Vick for the next month and a half. Considering Vick owns a 6-14 record as a starting quarterback since 2012, that could be a problem. Over his previous three seasons on the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets, he has completed 56.3 percent of his passes for 20 touchdowns against 15 interceptions and a measly 78.1 quarterback rating. Those numbers would rank Vick among the worst five quarterbacks in the league this season. Then again, those were the Jets and Eagles, and these are the Steelers — a well-run organization with one losing season this century that has consistently been counted among Super Bowl contenders since 2001. Pittsburgh's defense has allowed 15 points per game through three weeks this season, and that includes an opening-night loss to a New England Patriots team that leads the NFL in yards and touchdowns. Likewise, the Steelers returned All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell to a backfield that also features DeAngelo Williams, who rushed for 204 yards and three scores on 41 carries (4.9 yards per carry) during Bell's two-game suspension. In other words, the Steelers are equipped to win games with more than Roethlisberger's arm. Vick should benefit from a wide receiver corps headlined by returning All-Pro selection Antonio Bryant. With an ever-improving Markus Wheaton also in the mix and Martavis Bryant returning in Week 5 from his four-game suspension , the question, as always with Vick, will be his throwing accuracy and health. Injury-prone even before missing two seasons in his prime for a dog-fighting conviction, he has battled concussion, rib, hamstring and quadriceps injuries in recent years, forcing him to become more of a pocket passer of late. Otherwise, the Steelers might have to turn to Oklahoma product Landry Jones, the team's third-string QB who's taken exactly zero snaps since being drafted by Pittsburgh in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. The biggest thing the Steelers have going for them, though, is the fact they play in the AFC — a conference that might struggle to find six decent teams to fill out the playoff picture this winter. Working under the assumption that the Patriots, Bengals, Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts are still the favorites to win their divisions, that leaves two wild-card spots up for grabs. Outside of the Buffalo Bills, no other AFC team has looked all that formidable through the first three weeks of the regular season. It's still early, and things change rapidly in the NFL, but if the Steelers can steal two of their next five games — starting Thursday against the winless Ravens — and make it through Week 8 with a .500 record, then a playoff berth isn't out of the question. Of course, Roethlisberger must find his rhythm again before an onslaught of the Seattle Seahawks, Colts, Bengals and Broncos hits him from Weeks 12-15. - - - - - - - Ben Rohrbach is a contributor for Ball Don't Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
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