A Matchup of Epic Proportions on the Horizon for the Steelers

[Sir Blitzelot]

Since beginning the season at a disappointing 1-2, the Pittsburgh Steelers have rebounded nicely by winning their last three games. The team now finds themselves tied atop the AFC North with the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, the Steelers will face their toughest opponent to date, when the undefeated Minnesota Vikings travel to Heinz Field on Sunday afternoon. This game will be a true test for both teams, who should be evenly matched. A win by the Steelers will put them right back into the conversation of being serious contenders in the AFC. But, the Vikings are 6-0 for a reason, and defeating them will surely be an immense challenge.

When preparing for the Minnesota Vikings obviously, the first name that comes to mind is halfback, Adrian Peterson. Peterson is not only the best running back in the NFL right now, but he is arguably the best all-around football player in the league. The third-year back out of the University of Oklahoma, is currently leading the league in rushing, while averaging over five yards a carry, and having seven touchdowns on the ground. Let us also not forget about the man the Vikings currently have under center, the immortal Brett Favre. The future Hall of Fame quarterback is having yet another memorable season. Favre has found success fitting into Minnesota’s run-first offense. With the Vikings, The forty-year-old quarterback is no longer asked to win games, but instead, manage them. This offensive strategy appears to have paid off for Favre. Thus far this season, he has been extremely efficient posting a quarterback rating of nearly 110, while only throwing two interceptions to go along with his twelve touchdown passes.

To date, the strength of the Pittsburgh Steelers has been their passing game. Ben Roethlisberger is currently leading the league in passing, already throwing for over 1,800 yards on the season, and having a completion percentage of nearly 73. Much of the Steelers’ passing success has to do with the wide receivers. Hines Ward is leading the league with nearly 600 receiving yards. Another wide receiver, Santonio Holmes, is already on pace to having his first 1,000-yard season, as he has over 430 yards receiving on the year. The Steelers are no longer the running powerhouse of the NFL. Instead of relying on the running game to lead them towards victory, the Steelers now find success behind the arm of Ben Roethlisberger, and time and again, the quarterback rises up to the task.

If there is one weakness that the Minnesota Vikings have, it has to be their pass defense. Although, the Vikings have a stout rush defense, their pass defense ranks 24th in the league, with the opposistion averaging just around 250 yards passing a game. In order for the Steelers to be victorious, they must exploit this weakness and rely heavily on the passing attack. With Roethlisberger expected to be dropping back in the pocket for most of the game, it will put added pressure on the Steelers’ offensive line to protect Roethlisberger against one of the league’s most feared pass-rushers, Jared Allen. Allen has seven and a half sacks to go along with his three forced fumbles on the year.

The Steelers always seem to play their best football when they face a formidable opponent. Sunday’s contest will, without a doubt, have a playoff-type feel to it. The level of excitement and intensity from the crowd at Heinz Field will be off the charts, and should give the Steelers the edge. This game could very well be a Super Bowl XLIV preview, if these two teams continue down their current paths.

Michael C. Smith
SteelerAddicts.com

[75Steeler]

Michael, Another great article as always! Very well written and good info! :yellowthumb:

Go Steelers!!!!!

:cope:

[HUNT4SEVEN]

I agree.....nice read, i think Ben shows out this game 400 plus yards with 4 touchdowns

[Scorp]

Excellent read buddy. :cope: :yellowthumb: Remember what ben did back to back, back in 2004?....his rookie season?.........yeah, Ben and the Steelers handed the patriots and eagles their first loss of the season and he will do the same for the Viks come Sunday. I think we're in for a sweet treat. GO STEELERS!!!!!! :cope:

[Ironman]

Great article, and I agree with damn near everything you said, but not everything...

The Vikings O-line is the key in this game. They have kept Brett healthy, and upright, but at times they have not done a consistent job in providing holes for AP to burst through. The Vikings have a formidable WR core, and I include their TE's in this aspect. Shiancoe, and Kleinsasser are perfect fits in their system; Shiancoe does the catching and scoring, while Jimmy does the blocking. The Vikings will have a field day like usual if they can provide consistent protection against our blitz schemes.

The Vikings DB crew is stacked. Their numbers are down, but that is very deceiving. Both safeties are very talented, but it's Antoine Winfield, and Cedric Griffin that will provide problems. Winfield is a pro-bowl DB, and in my opinion, among the top 3 DB's in the entire NFC (maybe even the NFL). He will most likely be matched up on Ward, so this should be well hell of a matchup.

Heinz Field is the other key to the game. The Vikes are damn near impossible to beat at home this year (I hate the Metrodome, burn that bitch down!). The Steelers can enjoy the advantages of home field, and you can be sure the Vikings are very weary of this.

[BlacknGold Bleeder]

NIce writeup!! Enjoyed your view of the game and pretty much agree with your outlook.

[Big T]

The passing offense is having a great year with Santonio, Hines, and Heath all putting up good numbers. I think a big reason Hines and Heath are having such great years, is that Santonio is being doubled a lot. So while Santonio's numbers aren't exactly where some of us thought they would be, he is helping the offense more than people know and creating opprtunities for the other playmakers on this offense. This offense can be scary good if they can tone down the turnovers. I am extremely excited for this game.

[yinzer]

Nice write-up and thanks for taking the time!! :cope: :tt02:

[Sir Blitzelot]

Thanks for the positive feedback guys, glad everyone enjoyed reading it. :yellowthumb:

[Phenomenal TJ]

We seem to have the same thoughts on the game, good call.