The frustrations of the Steelers are overflowing. Is it the end of an era?

The Pittsburgh Steelers were high on the list of Super Bowl favorites in pre-season, but there is much less optimism after a 0-1-1 start.

It's not just that the team did not win either. They made a winning match in their first game against the Cleveland Browns by returning the ball more than six times, followed by Patrick Mahomes.

The Steelers have not had a single season of defeat since they drafted Ben Roethlisberger in the 2004 NFL draft, and earned two rings at the Super Bowl. But now, the quarterback is 36 years old and shows signs of age.

Roethlisberger is under contract until the 2019 season and has retired in recent years. He had an elbow injury that prevented him from qualifying before the second week, and although he managed to get 452 yards and three touchdowns, it was not enough to beat the leaders.

Frustrations are overflowing and things are not going well in Pittsburgh. Is it the end of an era for the Steelers?

Pittsburgh does not hit the big game and Antonio Brown is annoyed

The explosive pieces were a staple for the Steelers for much of the Roethlisberger era. No team has had more 40-yard passes or more in 2017.

Antonio Brown has led the way for years. The Pro Bowler six times averages over 100 yards per game in three different seasons and averages 13.4 yards per receiving.

Two games before the 2018 season, Brown has 160 receiving yards and averages 8.9 yards per receiving. His longest game was 22 meters.

A throbbing calf injury probably contributed to the slow start, but Roethlisberger's inaccuracy in the field contributed.

It's not for lack of effort. Brown has already been targeted 33 times in two games – the largest number of NFL players. But the struggles clearly cause some frustration on the surface.

When a former Steelers public relations representative tweeted Monday that Roethlisberger is why Brown has found so much success in the NFL, Brown responded with "Trade me know".

No, Brown is not going to be traded, nor is he asking for it to be. But the tweet clearly reflects his dissatisfaction with the beginning of the season.

It was also evident Sunday that Brown could be seen arguing with Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner on the sideline.

It does not help that one of the best offensive weapons on the team is watching the team from home.

Steelers miss Le'Veon Bell

James Conner has been good, but he is not Bell.

In two games, Conner averaged 3.9 yards per run and three touchdowns. He also recorded 10 receptions for 105 yards.

Conner is certainly the most profitable of his contract of $ 3.16 million over four years. Bell is keen to prepare for a big pay day in the spring, and is canceling pieces of his one-year contract, $ 14,544, under the franchise label in the process.

But the absence of Bell has wreaked havoc.

Bell has averaged at least 4.0 yards per race in each of the past four seasons and is a road racer as refined as any other runner in the league. It makes sense that the Steelers offense improves with the return of one of the most dangerous weapons in the game.

The holdout also affected the Steelers.

He created a drama in the Steelers locker room in early September, when some players fell in the back to be selfish. Bell's pursuit of a premium deal cast a shadow over Conner, who is perpetually compared to the player whose shoes he tries to fill.

When Bell returns, it is not yet known, but it will be no later than November. When that happens, it adds another delicate situation to a team that already has a lot to do.

Oh yes, the defense could be a problem too

The Browns seemed helpless for most of their game against the Steelers, but Mahomes did not.

The Chiefs' second-year quarterback earned a total of 326 passing yards and six touchdowns. It's possible that it's just a bad day against a young smuggler who played surprisingly well.

But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have been one of the most surprisingly explosive teams of the first two weeks, will be the following. Ryan Fitzpatrick shot four touchdowns in the first two weeks and could really bury the Steelers' season Monday night football.

Pittsburgh is a perennial powerhouse, but if the Steelers can not fix their defensive problems and their difficulty in finding big games to attack, it could mean that the Roethlisberger era ends on a standstill.