The Steelers gashed the 49ers defense for 43 points last week and hope to continue the ride this week against another NFC West opponent; the St. Louis Rams. The Rams are 1-1 after an impressive victory over Seattle and then an embarrassing defeat against Washington. Who will show up for St. Louis this week when the black and gold roll into town?
Here are the Keys to A Steelers Victory:
1. The Rams have a very strong font seven on defense and it will be imperative the Steelers offensive line keep them away from Big Ben. Their pass rush is frighteningly good and the offensive line
2. With the pass rush the Rams have, Heath Miller and Markus Wheaton are going to be more important than usual, along with LeVeon Bell. Ben may have to dump more short passes this week to get rid of the ball quickly and these guys are going to be the beneficiaries and need to make sure they run crisp routes must keep the blitzers out of the backfield. and get open.
3. The defense needs to continue to get pressure on the QB. Last week the black and gold front seven made it to the backfield all game long. If they do that again, it eases up the pressure on the weak secondary and provides a huge boost of energy.
4. Just like last week, the Steelers need to jump out to a big lead early and then force the Rams to play catch up. It makes play calling far easier and it doesn’t allow an inferior opponent to hang around and gain confidence.
Here are a Few Things to Watch:
1. LeVeon Bell-He’s back and ready to rumble. How will the team use him and will he come out fast or does he need a few weeks to get his legs warm?
2. Darrius Heyward-Bey-He had more catches last week than he did all of last season. Is he living up to that first round pick from way back when he was in Oakland? Ben loves him and he showed some real flashes against the 49ers, will he be a go to guy again?
3. Bud Dupree-He has two sacks in his first two games as a pro. Will he continue the streak and when will he finally replace Ryan Moates as the starter?
4. Big Ben-He’s picked up this year where he left off last season. Can he keep it rolling again this week and drop another 300 yards?
Mike Pelaia hosts the website Steel Nation Association www.steelnationassociation.com- Covering the Steelers and helping Children’s Hospital All Day Everyday. You can e-mail him at mike@steelnationassociation.com.
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