Stat of the Day

This from Ray Fittipaldo of the PittsburghPost-Gazette: "Here is why the Steelers should stay committed to the running game in the stretch run. The 39 plays the Tennessee Titans ran were the fewest for an NFL team in three years, according to the NFL Network."

Tennessee vs. Steelers: Instant Analysis, fourth quarter

All's well that ends well.  Despite the special team breakdown (i.e. the blocked punt) the Steelers split possession time for the quarter; and the play-action touchdown pass on third down and six was a back breaker.  Moreover, the defense came up with enough plays to keep Tennessee from ever getting back in the game.

We were especially pleased to see Cam Hayward deliver some important plays, and James Farrior ~ who had looked fairly dreadful through the first four weeks of the season ~ had six tackles in the quarter.

At this point, with all that has transpired, any win is a good win; and the Steelers get to look forward to another week at home.

Tennessee vs. Steelers: Instant Analysis, third quarter

Oh boy.

A bad first offensive series, followed by an impressive defensive series and offensive series (for a touchdown), followed by a lousy defensive series, and a then a special teams lapse, and then a great defensive play.

Up-and-down in a way that has us feeling that the quarter was a microcosm of the season thus far.

One player distinguishing themselves is the recently returned Max Starks.  The Steelers radio announcer Craig Wolfley has been grading Mr. Starks on every play, and on 45 offensive plays Mr. Wolfley had the Steelers' left tackle down for 42 "plus" plays (i.e. good) and three "minus" plays (i.e. bad).

Heading to the fourth quarter the feeling here is that the Black & Gold are one touchdown away from closing this game out.

Tennessee vs. Steelers: Second quarter, instant analysis

A carelessly thrown pass by Ben Roethlisberger marred what otherwise would have been a perfect second quarter.

The fake punt worked to perfection, and the Jonathan Dwyer run was made possible by perfectly executed blocks along the offensive front.  Meanwhile the defense, which has been so poor for nearly the entire season completely shutdown the Titans' offense.


At halftime the Steelers offense has outgained Tennessee 261 yards to 118, Ben Roethlisberger has been sacked zero times while Matt Hasselbeck had been taken down twice, with LaMarr Woodley credited for 1.5 of those.  Additionally, the Steelers defense has continued to control the Titans' running game, with Chris Johnson rushing for 21 yards on the eight carries that followed his 21 yard run on his first carry.

With the Steelers getting the ball first to begin the second half, here's hoping they put the Titans away immediately.

Tennessee Vs. Steelers: Instant analysis, first quarter

The first half of the quarter seemed very much like deja vu, all over again.  The long, scoring drive by Tennessee (more than six minutes in duration) was only half as long as the drive Houston put together last week; but every bit as painful to watch.

Penalties, sloppy tackling, and an inability to hold the point of attack had us thinking that it was going to be another long day.  But the three-and-out on Tennessee's second possession fives some cause for hope; and after a 20-yard romp on his first carry Chris Johnson was averaging fewer than two yards per on his subsequent five carries.

Meanwhile the offense did more than their fair share, driving smartly for a touchdown following an outstanding kick return by Antonio Brown.  The quick passes, and decisive running style of Issac Redman were a refreshing change from the weeks 1-4.

So far so good, with a long way to go.

Steelers @ Tennessee: The Friday Injury Report

Much has been made of Albert Haynesworth missing this weekend's game against the Steelers, and understandably so, but I also took note that Jevon Kearse's name popped up today ~ specifically that his participation in practice was limited on Friday because of a groin injury.

Frankly, I would be glad to see his participation in Sunday's game limited as well.

Here is the full and complete injury report from the NFL:

"PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Status Report

OUT
T Marvel Smith (back)

QUESTIONABLE
DE Brett Keisel (knee)

PROBABLE
S Ryan Clark (foot)
LB James Harrison (foot)
S Troy Polamalu (foot)
LB LaMarr Woodley (knee)

Practice Report

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Wednesday
S Ryan Clark (foot)
LB James Harrison (foot)
RB Willie Parker (not injury related)
S Troy Polamalu (foot)
DE Aaron Smith (not injury related)
T Marvel Smith (back)
WR Hines Ward (not injury related)
LB LaMarr Woodley (knee)

Thursday
T Marvel Smith (back)

Friday
T Marvel Smith (back)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Wednesday
DE Brett Keisel (knee)

Thursday
S Ryan Clark (foot)
LB James Harrison (foot)
DE Brett Keisel (knee)
S Troy Polamalu (foot)
LB LaMarr Woodley (knee)

Friday
S Ryan Clark (foot)
LB James Harrison (foot)
DE Brett Keisel (knee)
S Troy Polamalu (foot)
LB LaMarr Woodley (knee)


TENNESSEE TITANS

Status Report

OUT
DT Albert Haynesworth (knee)
DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (groin)
CB Cary Williams (quadricep)

PROBABLE
CB Chris Carr (illness)
DE Jevon Kearse (groin)
LB David Thornton (hip)

Practice Report
OUT (DEFINITELY WILL NOT PLAY)

Wednesday
DT Albert Haynesworth (knee)
DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (groin)

Thursday
DT Albert Haynesworth (knee)
DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (groin)

Friday
DT Albert Haynesworth (knee)
DE Kyle Vanden Bosch (groin)

DID NOT PARTICIPATE IN PRACTICE

Wednesday
LB David Thornton (hip)
CB Cary Williams (quadricep)

Thursday
CB Cary Williams (quadricep)

Friday
CB Chris Carr (illness)
LB David Thornton (hip)
CB Cary Williams (quadricep)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Friday
DE Jevon Kearse (groin)

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

Thursday
LB David Thornton (hip)"

Steelers @ Tennessee: Injury Update

NFL Radio is reporting that two of Tennessee's more important defensive players will miss Sunday's matchup with Pittsburgh.

According to Tim Ryan of NFL Radio's "Movin' the Chains" show Albert Haynesworth will miss the game due to a sprained medial collateral ligament. So far this season Mr. Haynesworth leads the Titans in sacks with 8, and has a total of 51 tackles (41 solo, 10 assists).

Also out (with a groin injury) is defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, the Titans' third leading sacker (4 on the season, tied with Jevon Kearse and Dave Ball), who has 24 tackles on the season (12 solo, 12 assists).

Pittsburgh Steelers Fanatic will have the complete, final injury report from the NFL on Friday.

2008 Schedule: Looking Forward

If anyone doubts that the game versus Cincinnati was of the "must win" variety, they need only look at how the Steelers have fared against their next five opponents (including playoffs):

1. New England:
   • 13-11 all-time
   • 3-3 at New England
   • Most recent road win was December 13, 1997 (24-21 in OT)
   • 1-6 in their last seven meetings overall


2. Dallas:
   • 14-15 all-time
   • 7-6 in Pittsburgh
   • Most recent win in Pittsburgh was September 4, 1988 (24-21)
   • 1-4 in their last five games overall


3. Baltimore:
   • 15-10 all-time
   • 6-6 at Baltimore
   • 0-5 at Baltimore in their last five games


4. Tennessee:
   • Including games versus the Houston Oilers, the Steelers are 41-29 all-time
   • Including games versus the Houston Oilers, the Steelers are 17-19 on the road against this franchise
   • Since the Oilers moved to Tennessee (1997) the Steelers are 1-7 in the last eight games
   • Their most recent road win versus the Titans was November 25, 2001 (34-24).


5. Cleveland:
   • 58-55 all-time
   • 36-21 at Pittsburgh
   • 10 straight wins overall
   • 16 wins in their last 17 meetings
   • Most recent loss was at home, October 5, 2003 (13-33).

To say that it is a tough stretch ~ perhaps the toughest of the entire season ~ is something of an understatement. Making it all the more daunting is the comparative ease of Baltimore's schedule. Given that fact, it would seem that the Steelers have to do no worse than 3-2 in their next five to have any chance of making the playoffs (unless of course teams like Indianapolis implode, in which case the Wild Card becomes a possibility for Pittsburgh).

So let's hope the Steelers' players rest well for the next week, because there will be no rest for the weary the remainder of this season.

Future Opponents, Dramtic Stories

Tuesday was an unusually busy day of dramatic stories involving some players on NFL team whom the Steelers will be facing later this season. We offer up links for your convenience:

Jaguars: Jacksonville police now believe that jags' offensive lineman Richard Collier was targeted by his attackers when he was shot on September 2nd.

Chargers: Shawne Merriman, whose decision to not have knee surgery caused some much conversation over the summer, is now having knee surgery, and is out for the remainder of the season.

Patriots: Carson Palmer's surgeon says Tom Brady will be back sooner than you think.

Titans: Nashville police say they found a gun in Vince Young's car ~ but that it wasn't loaded.

Steelers Clinch! -- Update

Update: December 24, 2007, 12:35 AM

An article in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette offers clarification on the Steelers' playoff situation:

"If San Diego (9-5) beats Denver tonight, the Chargers will become the No. 3 seed in the AFC and the Steelers No. 4. San Diego would own the tiebreaker against the Steelers based on a better conference record.

A San Diego victory would send Jacksonville to Heinz Field for the first-round playoff game as the No. 5 seed."

The Steelers' loss to the Jets may haunt them for quite some time.

Original Posting
Just finished listening to the Bengals' play-by-play announcers -- there's bad football, and then there's Bengals bad -- as the Bengals hang on to defeat Cleveland.

The difference in this game occurred at the end of the first half when, with 0:47 left on the clock and no time outs, Derek Anderson threw an interception (i.e. rather than taking a knee) to Leon Hall. The Bengals managed to put the ball in the end zone, going into the half with a 19-0 lead.

The second half was all Cleveland, but they ran out of time.

The Steelers' game against Baltimore may still have meaning however. The Steelers have a 7-4 record in the AFC whereas San Diego currently has a 7-3 record, with a game against Denver Monday night. So, it would appear that in order for the Steelers to be the #3 seed (thereby facing Cleveland/Tennessee) rather than the #4 seed (thereby facing Jacksonville) they need to win next week and get some help from Denver and/or Oakland (i.e. San Diego's opponent next week).