The unofficial start of the Steelers 2nd half starts today as they travel to arguably one of the toughest places to play in the NFL and take on the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle is a good team who’s in dire need of a victory, the Steelers, at 6-4 also cannot afford to come away with a loss this late in the season. The legion of boom defense that Seattle boasts has been a little shakier than normal this year and the Steelers high flying offense is ready to take advantage of that fact. Who will prevail?
Here are the Keys to A Steelers Victory:
• Big Ben needs to continue his utter dominance of the league. Everybody still talks about Brady and Rodgers but Ben is just as good as them, if not better. If he lights up the secondary, as he has been, the Steelers will enjoy great success.
2. The Steelers secondary must show improvements. Sure, they’ve gained some turnovers over the past few games but the secondary is no good. Russell Wilson can extend plays with his feet, and if he does, it will allow the receivers time to get open, which could be ominous for the black and gold. They need to provide tight coverage.
3. The defense must find a way to contain Wilson. As I stated, he can extend plays with his feet and if a receiver isn’t there, he’ll take off and get yards down field. Keeping him in the pocket is extremely important.
4. The team must block out the ‘12th man’. The Seahawks crowd is loud and boisterous and they will be gunning for blood. The team must block out all the extra sound and stay focused. Allowing the sound to cause them to jump off sides or false start will be problematic.
Here are a Few Things to Watch:
• Antonio Brown vs. Richard Sherman-Brown is the best WR in the business and Sherman is one of the best shut down corners in football, if not the best. It will be a great matchup to watch throughout the game.
2. Big Ben-How is his foot after having the bye week. Will it withhold a tough Seattle blitz?
3.DeAngelo Williams-How effective will he be? He’s a great asset to this team and he may be called upon 20 times or so today.
4. Bud Dupree and Jarvis Jones-Both linebackers are set to gain more playing time starting this week, how effective will they be. In my opinion, Dupree should be seeing a lot of snaps as he’s a true pass rushing threat and play maker.
Mike Pelaia hosts the website Steel Nation Association https://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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