BlitzburghRockCity
12-02-2011, 12:06 AM
This is a game, especially at home where the Steelers do well, that they can get out early on the Bengals and then force Dalton to air it out. The key is the offensive line, no question. Pouncey coming back will help get them back on track and hopefully keep the pass rush in check. The Bengals have a mean rotation on their front line which allows them to keep their players fresh for the entire game, even when offenses sustain long drives.
With all the talk about how the offense struggled against the Chiefs, I look for Arians to establish momentum early and get Ben into the flow with short passes and hopefully set up the deep ball. I would suspect you'll see Wallace sprinting down the sidelines for a long pass from Ben on the first series when the Steelers get the ball. If they can hit that it will set the tone early on for what they want to do. The Bengals will have to respect the passing game perhaps not blitz as much.
The Steelers offensline line cannot afford to let the Bengals start getting in the backfield and disrupting the gameplan. They did a good job of that last time, so if the Steelers have any hopes of running the ball (or keeping Ben's jersey clean) the line is going to have to establish their territory from the get go.
For the Steelers defense, it's all about pressure. Get after Dalton and he's liable to throw some picks. Ike will be on Green all day long and but I still expect the Bengals to test that matchup because AJ is his favorite target. Just don't allow any cheap touchdowns and make Dalton go the length of the field and sooner or later he'll make a mistake. The Bengals also like to use their Tight Ends so the middle of the defense will need to be ready, in a similar manner that they played the Patriots. Granted the Bengals offense isn't the Pats but they like to use short passes and establish a groove for Dalton to complete passes and get into the flow of the game.
With all the talk about how the offense struggled against the Chiefs, I look for Arians to establish momentum early and get Ben into the flow with short passes and hopefully set up the deep ball. I would suspect you'll see Wallace sprinting down the sidelines for a long pass from Ben on the first series when the Steelers get the ball. If they can hit that it will set the tone early on for what they want to do. The Bengals will have to respect the passing game perhaps not blitz as much.
The Steelers offensline line cannot afford to let the Bengals start getting in the backfield and disrupting the gameplan. They did a good job of that last time, so if the Steelers have any hopes of running the ball (or keeping Ben's jersey clean) the line is going to have to establish their territory from the get go.
For the Steelers defense, it's all about pressure. Get after Dalton and he's liable to throw some picks. Ike will be on Green all day long and but I still expect the Bengals to test that matchup because AJ is his favorite target. Just don't allow any cheap touchdowns and make Dalton go the length of the field and sooner or later he'll make a mistake. The Bengals also like to use their Tight Ends so the middle of the defense will need to be ready, in a similar manner that they played the Patriots. Granted the Bengals offense isn't the Pats but they like to use short passes and establish a groove for Dalton to complete passes and get into the flow of the game.