By Alan Robinson
The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - Here's what it comes down to for the Pittsburgh Steelers: Suddenly, a game against the winless Cincinnati Bengals is a pivotal one on the schedule.

Off to a 1-3 start that drained some of their once-abundant confidence and exposed some previously unseen weaknesses in their defense, the Steelers promised Wednesday there will be changes Sunday when they play the Bengals (0-5).

They won't be any personnel moves - coach Bill Cowher already said there will be none of those. Instead, safety Lee Flowers said the Steelers need to alter their mindset and return to being an aggressive, tempo-setting defense rather than a tentative, reactive one.

The dramatic falloff by the NFL's top-ranked defense of a year ago is the most visible deficiency in a team that already has as many losses as it did while going 13-3 last season.

It's not just been the spread set offense the Patriots and Raiders used so successfully in piling up 60 points and 807 yards against the Steelers, either. The Saints stayed with a conventional, gimmick-free game plan in beating the Steelers 32-29 Sunday, scoring on seven of their first eight possessions while successfully running at rookie linebacker Larry Foote and throwing at cornerback Chad Scott.

"Coach Cowher is pretty pumped up, and he showed his displeasure with the defense," Flowers said. "We're taking it personal. We're going back to playing the way we used to play football. We're thinking too much, trying to play that perfect game instead of playing with emotion.

"We need to play our defense and let people change their offense for us. We need to start dictating to teams what they're running instead of letting teams dictate to us."

Still, Flowers conceded opponents are attacking the Steelers' 3-4 defense, with its layers of zone blitzes and aggressive pass rushers, much more effectively than before.

"We're been running our fire zones forever, and it's the same situation that (winless) St. Louis is going through, once they've figured it out you need to adjust," Flowers said. "Everybody knows what we run and when we're going to run it, and it's on us to disguise it and not show where it (the blitz) is coming from.

"Right now, guys are trying to not make mistakes and you can't play football like that. You've got to take chances and be aggressive and not be scared to make a mistake."

No matter the reason, the drop-off by a defense that ranks 20th overall and 24th against the pass illustrates why the Steelers are in the predicament they are in.

The Steelers have allowed 1,367 yards and 105 points, compared to 956 yards and 48 points through four games a season ago. Then, they didn't give up more than 26 points all season; this season, they've let three of four opponents score at least 30.

"I think with all the hype and the talk we were the team to beat in the AFC, teams prepared for us in the offseason," Flowers said. "You can't tell me Oakland saw one game (New England) and, within five days, they ran the spread offense to perfection without doing it in the offseason.

"It's a copycat league and when something's going good, teams want a part of it. When it's going bad, teams want to get rid of it."

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