We might be witnessing the beginning of the end of the Steelers’ season.

After Sunday’s debacle at the hands of the New England Patriots, who have dominated the Steelers in the Tom Brady era, Pittsburgh was exposed for a weak pass defense team that future opponents are bound to exploit.

The Oakland Raiders are in town this weekend. I’m guessing pass.

Last season, mired in what would be a five-game losing streak that prevented the Steelers from making the playoffs, the Raiders threw all over the Steelers in a stunning victory.

That was with Seton-La Salle High graduate Bruce Gradkowski. With Jason Campbell at the helm, and the Raiders a much-improved team, this one may not be easy. Expect Campbell to pass, pass, pass.

The Steelers still have been stout against the run, even without star defensive end Aaron Smith.

Therefore, the only option for teams is to throw, and it’s a pretty good one.

I said in last week’s column the pass defense concerned me. Granted, New Orleans’ Drew Brees and Brady are two of the elite quarterbacks in the league, but look for lesser signal-callers to take full advantage of the Steelers’ porous secondary the remainder of the season.

The defensive line and the linebackers can hold their own, but players such as William Gay and Bryant McFadden are starting to slip again.

Even safety Troy Polamalu has disappeared at times, though teams have definitely shied away from his direction.

Perhaps the Steelers will have to draft a bevy of defensive backs again or find a hidden gem in free agency, but it doesn’t look like things will get better anytime soon.

What they have on the field is what they have to deal with for the rest of the season.

The Steelers were able to overcome Ben Roethlisberger’s four-game suspension with a 3-1 mark — a last-minute loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4 prevented an unblemished start — then defeated Cleveland and Miami to go 5-1.

Cleveland’s Colt McCoy accumulated some garbage-time yards in the fourth quarter, then Chad Henne lit up the Steelers’ defense in the second half and almost came away with the win.

Of course, Brees and Brady had a field day with the Steelers secondary, and Palmer led the Bengals to two fourth-quarter touchdowns and nearly a third that would have given the Bengals the AFC North victory.

The Steelers still are sitting tied with Baltimore atop the division with a 6-3 mark and one game away from the best record in the AFC (the Patriots and New York Jets are 7-2).

Barring a complete turnaround, don’t expect things to get better anytime soon. It could get worse before it gets better.