Kansas City vs. Steelers: The actuals

Did this game remind anyone else of the Monday night game, versus Miami, immediately before which the Steelers replaced the Heinz Field turf (the one we lovingly refer to as the "Muck Bowl")? Well, just remember that we predicted a breakout performance of the Chiefs; and if not for some ridiculous penalties we would all be talking about another Steelers loss to a woeful AFC West opponent instead of Ben's injured shoulder. While it may be gruesome to do so, here is a look at the actual numbers versus the season's averages (in parentheses) coming into the game. One nugget worth looking at: The Steelers' average punt return figure -- breathtaking.

Kansas City Offense v. Steelers Defense
Total yards: Kansas City offense 290 (357.5) v. Steelers defense (262.6)

Net rushing yards: Kansas City offense 142 (149.9) v. Steelers defense (88.6)

Net passing yards: Kansas City offense 154 (207.6) v. Steelers defense (174.0)

Points: Kansas City offense 13 (16.6) v. Steelers defense (20.5)


Steelers Offense v. Kansas City Defense
Total yards per game: Steelers offense 249 (367.3) v. Kansas City defense (349.9)

Net rushing yards: Steelers offense 95 (104.9) v. Kansas City defense 22nd (102.6)

Net passing yards: Steelers offense 157 (262.4) v. Kansas City defense 11th (247.4)

Points: Steelers offense: 16 (23.9) v. Kansas City defense 30th (30.0)


Special Teams
Yards per punt return: Kansas City 5.7 (10.7) v. Steelers 1.3 (10.2)

Yards per kick return: Kansas City 20.4 (22.2) v. Steelers 23.0 (28.0)

Net punting average: Kansas City 39.1 (40.4) v. Steelers 36.5 (37.4)


Miscellaneous
Turnover differential: Kansas City 0 (-20) v. Steelers 0 (+0)

Time of possession: Kansas City 29:18 (31:58) v. Steelers 31:37 (34:40)

Red Zone touchdown efficiency (touchdowns): Kansas City 33% (31.6%) v. Steelers 25% (53.3%)

Sacks allowed: Kansas City 2 (17) v. Steelers 1 (18)


Some Individual Numbers
AFC Passer rating: Matt Cassel, 46 (68.9, ACTUALS: Comp. Pct.: 42.3, TDs: 0, INTs: 1, Avg. per Comp.: 14.0 yards) v. Ben Roethlisberger, 81.7 (101.1, ACTUALS: Comp. Pct.: 50.0, TDs: 1, INTs: 1, Avg. per Comp.: 9.3 yards) & Byron Leftwich, 65.5 (ACTUALS: Comp. Pct.: 50.0, TDs: 0, INTs: 0, Avg. per Comp.: 10.4 yards)

AFC Leading rushers: Jamaal Charles, 100 yards, 4.3 yards per carry, 1 TD (634 yards, 4.8 yards per carry, 2 TDs) v. Jonathan Dwyer, 56 yards, 2.9 yards per carry, 0 TDs (299 yards, 5.2 yards per carry, 0 TDs) & Isaac Redman 21 yards, 2.6 yards per carry, 0 TDs (274 yards, 3.6 yards per carry, 2 TDs)

AFC Leading receivers: Dwayne Bowe, 4 catches, 55 yards, 13.8 per catch, 0 TDs (45 catches, 571 yards, 12.7 per catch, 3 TDs) v. Mike Wallace, 3 catches, 14 yards, 4.7 per catch, 1 TD (39 catches, 525 yards, 13.5 yards per catch, 5 touchdowns) Note: Heath Miller, 4 catches, 47 yards, 11.8 per catch, 0 TDs

AFC sack leaders: Justin Houston, 1 (6.0 sacks) v. Larry Foote, LaMarr Woodley & Jason Worilds, All had zero sacks. (3.0) Note: Brett Keisel led the Steelers with two sacks on the night.

Brett Keisel: The X Factor?

The following is an article from the Williamson Daily News that discusses a new role that is in the offing for Steelers' defensive end Brett Keisel. Apparently Dick LeBeau is considering using the 6'5", 285 pound, six year veteran ina kind of flex role a la Troy Polamalu and Adalius Thomas.

"Brett Keisel is a pass-rushing defensive right end who put more pressure on the quarterback last season than any other Pittsburgh Steelers player.

At 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds, Keisel doesn't begin to resemble in size or makeup the more mobile Troy Polamalu, the Steelers' evasive strong safety.
But, to take advantage of Keisel's ability to get to the quarterback, defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is experimenting with having Keisel be something of a Polamalu Part II - a player who moves, shifts and flip-flops positions from down to down.

LeBeau, who was retained by new Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, believes Keisel can be as disruptive and deceptive as Polamalu is when he moves in from the deep secondary to line up as an outside or inside linebacker.

Think Polamalu, but in a size XXXL.

Keisel still lines up at his customary position of right defensive end but, just before the snap, he may stand up and become an outside linebacker.

At other times, Keisel may shift from one side of the line to the other immediately ahead of the snap, possibly creating overloads that offenses will find difficult to manage when they have two linemen trying to block three defenders.

‘That's what training camp's for, to get comfortable with everything so it's second nature,' Keisel said.

Some players find it hard to adjust from putting their hand on the ground as a defensive lineman to being upright as a linebacker, but Keisel feels comfortable doing either.

His ability to play numerous positions could help transform the Steelers from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense within a season or so.

‘It is fun, man,' Keisel said. ‘I really enjoy it so far. I just hope it works and we can use it in every game. I think it can definitely cause the offense problems and hopefully it will work.'

While Keisel is listed as a defensive end, LeBeau considers him to be a roving linebacker - the Steelers' biggest linebacker since Levon Kirkland played there at nearly 300 pounds. Keisel can move for a big man and has played on special teams in the past.

The AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens used the 6-2, 270-pound Adalius Thomas in a similar role last season, but he signed with New England during the offseason.

Since LeBeau came to him with the idea, Keisel has studied how the 5-10, 207-pound Polamalu - a Pro Bowl player each of the last three seasons - adjusts from positioning himself near the line on one play but drops 15 yards back into coverage on the next. Keisel may occasionally drop into pass coverage himself, something not many 285-pounders do in the NFL.

‘Troy is definitely the master of deception,' Keisel said. ‘He looks like he's rushing, and he'll get back into the deep third (of the coverage), and I'm trying to learn from him and see how it goes.'

With longtime starting outside linebacker Joey Porter gone after being released, the Steelers are looking at various ways to improve a pass rush that was limited to 39 sacks last season - their third fewest in the last 15 seasons.

Porter had a team-high seven sacks last season, but Keisel was credited with pressuring the quarterback 23 times, or nearly twice as many as Porter's 12.

'Troy's still moving around, so we're both kind of doing our own little thing,' Keisel said. ‘It's kind of neat.'"

Steelers @ Carolina: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

The reality of the Steelers' situation is this: despite having gone 5-1 in their last six games they find themselves in eleventh place in the AFC Conference. Only slightly more galling is the fact that two weeks ago they were in tenth, but remain out of the playoff picture despite their two most recent wins.

But despite this sad fact this is a time for happiness and good cheer, and thanks to a wonderful effort by Pittsburgh the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly will not feature an "Ugly" section. Merry Christmas one and all!

The Good
Fans of the Black & Gold have an embarassment of riches this week.

But let us begin with those most maligned earlier this season -- the offense.

For instance, the offensive line (after some first quarter struggles with pass protection) performed wonderfully, providing Ben Roethlisberger ample time to throw (on those few occasions when he actually did throw) and more importantly opened holes through which Willie Parker ran wild. Indeed the offensive line and Willie Parker have been rounding into form during this six game stretch (i.e. Willie Parker's rushing statistics for the last six games have been: 125 carries, 697 yards, 5.58 yards per carry, and five rushing touchdowns). Larry Johnson and LaDanian Tomlinson are statistically the top running backs in the AFC, but Willie Parker is #3 and, despite the team's disappointing performace this season, deserving of a spot in the Pro Bowl.

Also performing well Sunday were the Steelers' pass throwers -- Ben Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch, and . . . Cedric Wilson?!? His pass was one of the prettiest thrown by a Pittsburgh Steeler all season, and the 21 yard completion matched a Ben Roethlisberger pass of the same length for longest of the day. All told the Roethlisberger, Batch, and Wilson combined to go 13/20, 169 yards, 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions, and a 108.1 QB rating.

Moving on, Santonio Holmes has been under the microscope -- thanks to some issues off the field that have since disappeared -- since before the season began, but it also appears that Mr. Holmes is beginning to fulfill the promise that motivated Kevin Colbert and Bill Cowher to move up in the 2006 NFL Draft to get the Ohio State product. In today's game Mr. Holmes had three catches -- more than a quarter of Ben Roethlisberger's completions -- and his third quarter, ten yard reception (on third down and nine yards to go), carrying a defender on his back, showed a strength and determination that is refreshing to see.

However, if plaudits are being passed out to the Steelers' wide receivers then the biggest of them all must go to Hines Ward -- welcome back Super Bowl MVP! Four catches normally isn't much to get excited about, but given the season that Mr. Ward has had (i.e. hamstring injury, smothering double coverage) it was great to see even a glimmer of the 2005 Hines Ward.

Of course the defense also performed wonderfully -- five sacks, two interceptions, limiting Carolina to 43 yards rushing. There were several players who stood out, amongst those:

The defensive line
Brett Keisel, with 1.5 sacks in this game, now has 5.5 for the season to go along with 35 tackles and 15 assists (in 2005 Kimo von Oelhoffen, the man Mr. Keisel has replaced, had 3.5 sacks, 22 tackles, and 13 assists for the entire season). On the other side of the defensive line Aaron Smith -- who should make the Pro Bowl, but probably won't -- had 3 tackles and one sack (for the season Mr. Smith has 39 tackles, 11 assists, and 4.5 sacks. Last season he had no sacks, 29 tackles, and 10 assists). In the 3-4 defense the linemen are normally responsible for keeping blockers off the linebackers who are the real playmakers in this alignment. But with the emergence of Mr. Keisel, the continued development of Aaron Smith, and the continued Pro Bowl play of Casey Hampton this unit is one of the strengths of the team.

The secondary
There is no denying that the last three opponents that the Steelers have faced are not exactly blessed with top-flight quarterbacks. However it is also true that teams do not typically lose the services of a Pro Bowl safety (Troy Polamalu) at the same time their other starting safety is also out because of injury (Ryan Clark), and one of their "starting" cornerbacks is benched (Ike Taylor), and still manage to play at a high level against the pass. Over the last three games opposing quarterbacks have combined to go 65/110, 777 yards, 1 touchdown, six interceptions, and a 61.061 QB rating. In this most recent game the Steelers faced two of the best receivers in the NFL -- Keyshawn Johnson and Steve Smith -- and were more than equal to the task. Anthony Smith, Tyrone Carter, and Bryant McFadden are all playing very well and the result is that the defensive secondary is as strong and as deep as at any time in the team's recent history.

The final shout out this week HAS TO BE FOR SPECIAL TEAMS!! A blocked punt AND a punt return for a touchdown?!? Oh there is a Santa Claus! Even my resident whipping boy, Chris Gardocki, had a very good day with a 40.3 yard net average on three punts. Of course it should be of no surprise to anyone that the kicking game has improved with the return of James Harrison (from an injury) and special teams master Chidi Iwuoma (who NEVER should have been cut -- to think that Duce Staley was kept on the roster at the beginning of the season and Mr. Iwuoma was let go -- HORRIBLE decision-making).

The Bad
I promise to be brief and gentle -- Santonio Holmes cannot go around dropping PUNTS! He's lucky Carolina was flagged for a penalty on the play; and of course the "do over" was terrific (in one of the more prescient moments by any broadcast team the Carolina announcers proclaimed that "bad things happen" when teams are forced to re-kick just before Mr. Holmes broke off his return for a touchdown).

Lastly, Anthony Smith . . . please don't make Dick LeBeau angry any more, ok?

Finally, and perhaps worst of all, was the knee injury (career ending?) suffered by Chad Brown who returned to the Steelers and contributed a great deal earlier in the season.

Epilogue
It's been a nice stretch of games for the Steelers, and now the team is going to be tested. With their final two games of this season against their two biggest rivals the Steelers are going to find out just how much they've improved, if at all.

The Struggle for Answers

The collapse of the 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers is as shocking as is it frustrating. In this piece by Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers' players begin the long, hard search for an explanation (pay special attention to Cedric Wilson's myopic comments).

"Defensive end Aaron Smith, as frustrated as any Steelers fan, groped for a solution Sunday moments after his team slinked to its lowest point of the season at 2-5.

'We have to change something,' he said. 'Something's got to change.'

They will change into their home black uniforms Sunday against Denver; that is a start for a team winless in four games on the road this season. Heinz Field will never look so good to them. But, as they proved in a debacle against Cincinnati in the season's third game, they can throw victories away at home just as easily as they can on the road.

The only change coach Bill Cowher is likely to be interested in is better play from a team that in three of its five games has dominated its foes on offense and defense only to lose because of turnovers or bad special teams performances.

'We play well and we just don't win the game,' said receiver Cedrick Wilson. 'It's real tough. Hopefully, we can get it together. We still have a long season ahead of us. We're not out until they say we are, and they haven't said so.'

Yet the Steelers are on their way to perhaps the biggest Super Bowl hangover yet. Their 2-5 start ties for the second-worst record after seven games by a defending Super Bowl champion in the game's 40 years. Only the 1-6 start by the 1987 New York Giants was worse. Those Giants, though, played in a strike season in which three early games were played by replacement players. The Giants of '87, who finished 6-9, get an asterisk.

If the Steelers don't win soon, they could go down as the biggest loser for a defending Super Bowl champion.

The other Super Bowl teams that started like the Steelers 2-5 finished this way: the '81 Raiders 7-9, the '82 49ers 3-6 (another strike season), and the '99 Broncos 6-10.

At 7-5 last season, the Steelers' playoff hopes were in critical condition. At 2-5, it might not be worth even talking about. They would have to win nine in a row to equal their 11-5 record of 2005, go 8-1 to finish 10-6 and have a reasonable shot at making the playoffs, or 7-2 and hope that 9-7 squeezes them in.

'We just have to get some wins,' said linebacker Clark Haggans. 'We need to get them in a hurry, too.'

The abyss might be too deep already. No team in Steelers history started with as few as two victories in its first seven games and went on to make the playoffs. They were 2-5, then 2-6 in 2003 and finished 6-10. They were 1-6, then 2-10 in 1988 and ended 5-11. They started 1-6 in 1986 and ended 6-10. They were 1-6 and finished 1-13 in 1969.

Including this season, they are the worst seven-game starts under Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher since Noll took over in 1969.

'I never thought we'd be in this position, but it's the position we're in,' said defensive end Brett Keisel. 'What would shock me is if we don't fight our way out of this somehow. That would shock me.

'Everyone needs to look in the mirror and see what they need to do better to help this team win.'

But that has been a standing order for the past month, or ever since they slipped to 1-2 after losing to Cincinnati. They've tried all the psychic gymnastics to pull them out of their dive and yet they keep losing.

'We've been trying a lot of things, you know?' Keisel said. 'It just doesn't seem like the ball is bouncing our way right now. We just have to keep fighting.'

Hines Ward mentioned the bouncing of the ball as well, as if the Steelers are getting paid back this season for what they accomplished over their past two.

'Last year, all the balls were bouncing our way,' Ward said. 'This year we're not getting the same bounces. We have to find a way to adjust and keep fighting and hopefully they will.'

Interceptions, though, don't bounce, and Ben Roethlisberger already has thrown as many in his six games as all of last season -- 11. The team's 18 turnovers in seven games are just three fewer than they had in 16 last season.

Their turnovers are up, their yards on the ground down and their special teams have turned terrible. If the bounces aren't going their way, it might not be the product of luck as it is just plain poor play.

'We're still in our Super Bowl reign,' rookie receiver Santonio Holmes said. 'We can't let down because of our record. We have to keep fighting every week.'

Perhaps he meant Super Bowl pain."