Seahwaks vs. Steelers (Wk. 5)
Let's get one thing straight... This is not a Super Bowl XL Revenge or Grudge game! These two teams have new faces and new staff that weren't even a part of the game. For example, Mike Tomlin... he may have been at the Super Bowl but he definitely wasn't coaching on the sidelines for either team. Another example, where are the two biggest trash talkers that were in the press everyday leading up to the Super Bowl? I'll tell you... one is with the Dolphins and the other is with the Buccaneers!
So what do we have here... we have two 3 and 1 teams that have both been beat by the Cardinals! A potent offense going against a stout defense, and a "get the job done" offense going against a "won't keep you in the game" type defense! The Steelers and Seahwaks are pretty evenly matched although this game will more than likely come down to the Steelers running game and the the pressure the Steelers D can apply on little Matty.
FWP fell from the leading rusher in the NFL to the fourth spot. However, he is only 28 yards behind and he can make that up easily especially against the Seahwaks who are giving up just over a 100 per game. As long as FWP can get it going and the o-line can open up those big holes then the Steelers will be fine. Speaking of the o-line, I hoped they worked on pass protection this week because because I've seen better pass protection from High School teams! The one good thing though is Ben seems to be deadly when he is flushed out of the pocket, you can always anticipate something big from him when he starts scrambling around. It's that one big hit on Ben that concerns me, although with Batch the Steelers would be fine but as a fan you never want to see your teams starting QB go down. On a side note, it is looking like Ward might be returning to the lineup this weekend, still no word from the Steelers camp.
Last week the Steelers defense took a huge hit in the injury column. Troy, Hampton, McFadden and Hoke all left the game for various reasons. The only person ruled out this week is McFadden with a high ankle sprain. The Steelers defense needs to do what it does best... pressure the QB and cause havoc on the offense! Sparking a couple turnovers and maybe some defensive touchdowns would be good too, help out my fantasy team. The defense seemed suspect last week with the quick release of Warner which allowed the Cardinals to methodically move the ball down the field. Matty doesn't have the quick release and more of a drop back in the pocket QB, so this does fair well for the Steelers assuming Diesel can turn some of those hurries into sacks, although the hurries wouldn't be bad because Matty can't scramble!
Keys for a Steelers "W"
- Get the ground game going.
- O-line needs to give Ben time
- Avoid the "young dumb" penalties
- Apply pressure to Matty.
Interesting Facts
- Seahwaks lead the series record and have won 8 of 15
- Matty has won five of past six starts vs. AFC teams.
- Pittsburgh has not allowed 100-yard rusher in 25 consecutive games.
- Steelers had 11 penalties last week, same amount as over first three games.
- Pittsburgh has won seven consecutive vs. NFC at home.
Join us this Sunday... here in the gameday thread as we talk about the game and cheer our Steelers to a victory!!!! :tt02:
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