The Pittsburgh Steelers have a guaranteed spot in the playoffs but that does not mean the regular season is over for them. They are tied for first place in the division race with the 10-4 Baltimore Ravens.
In the next two games, the AFC North title would be decided one way or the other and the Pittsburgh Steelers want to see it decided their way.
Last week the Steelers were defeated 22-17 in a close game against the New York Jets. If for no other reason, Pittsburgh would want to crush its next two opponents to shake off that defeat. They could very easily do it. Their next two opponents are Carolina
Panthers and the 5-9 Cleveland Browns, nothing the Pittsburgh Steelers cannot handle.
Although they are tied with the Ravens at 10-4, they are in first place after two divisional wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens. They have secured their playoffs spot through the strength-of-schedule tiebreaker process. Linebacker James
Farrior said that just making the playoffs was not their goal in the regular season. “It is to win the division and we are still fighting for that,” he said.
Last Sunday’s game against the Jets lost the Steelers their third AFC North title in four years. The Steelers had to make do without tight end Heath Miller and Safety Troy Polamalu. Their absence was felt by Pittsburgh as Backup Matt Spaeth dropped a potential
game winning touchdown pass with just 9 seconds on the clock. Turnovers were not as forthcoming with Polamalu out of the game as the Steelers have become accustomed to. At present, it appears that Polamalu will not be ready until this Thursday. He has a torn
tendon and there is no fixed timeline for his return.
If the Steelers want the AFC No. 2 seed, they need to beat both the Panthers and the Brown or Just the Panthers given the Ravens are defeated by the Browns this week. Even if they fall below the No. 2 seed, they still would have as good a shot at the Super
Bowl as they had in 2005 when they won the Championship as the sixth seed. That though is not how they want their season to turn out.
As the second seed, the Steelers would get a bye week. Although they could perform without the bye but given the injuries they are currently faced with, a bye could prove to be a crucial advantage. A bye week could be the difference between playing with
Polamalu or without him. While the Steelers are a strong side even without him, but with him they are just better. With him, the Steelers have 41 turnovers in the past 18 games, without him that total falls down to 11 in 12 games.
Safety Ryan Clark said that Polamalu was one of the best defensive players in the league. “But you can't put all that on him. Guys that are on the field have to be accountable for what we put out there,” Clark said.
While what he brings to the defence is vital, the Steelers need more than just defence to make waves in the post season. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his offence have to produce more in the playoffs when the Steelers face the best of the league.
This Thursday could be a chance for Pittsburgh to flex its offensive muscle. The 2-12 Panthers rank at the very bottom of the league in terms of points per game. They have the worst passing yards average and would be hard pressed to produce against the strength
of Pittsburgh’s defence.
Carolina’s usually placid defence exploded last week against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals were limited to 218 total yards in the game ending Carolina’s losing streak that began after week 7. The fired up defence could pose a challenge to Roethlisberger
but that does not mean the Panthers have a snowball’s chance in h**l of winning the game.
Tags: