How do you beat Steelers

[Kid~Brady]

defense HAS to step up this weekend. They will kill us if we don't. One good thing i've noticed is that we have been making good stops when needed most. (i.e. the AP stop on 4th down).

Their O-line isnt all that great and Big Ben will hold onto the ball too long and hopefully throw picks and/or get sacked for turnovers.

Their defense is there, we all know this but i have a gut feeling that Woodhead may create some problems for them

 

[IllegalContact]

again, don't turn the ball over....

what does this game look like without the special teams fumble and the fumble at the end of the 2nd quarter? not saying the pats would have won, but that's 14 point swing in the first half.

what bothers me the most is how easy it was for mccoy to execute. the pats simply will not have a chance against that kind of running game while giving up easy 3rd and longs to a rookie 3rd string QB.

I just wonder because the browns have bigger nobodies at WR than the pats, and their TE is.....well.......never mind

so, they will hang in the game as long as they don't turn the ball over.

 

[Steelgal]

I haven't watched a lot of Pats games this year, but the way to beat the Steelers seems to be short/intermediate passes with minimal running. If they can't get pressure on the quarterback with 3-4 rushers, they're in trouble. Ike Taylor is a decent cornerback, but McFadden is average. I think a big part of the 4th quarter comebacks is because we have one of the oldest defenses in the league and they tire out. Plus injuries haven't helped either.

As for the offense, if you get quick pressure on Ben, it'll be a lot easier. Bruce Arians should have been fired in the off-season. The Saints blitzed like crazy and Arians never adjusted or did anything to change that. There were very few hot routes or screens to help take the pressure off. Ben is hard to take down and can make some amazing escapes, but this year without Holmes, the receivers aren't getting as open.

After watching the Steelers every week and screaming at the tv at times, this seems to be the way to beat them.

 

[Kid~Brady]

I haven't watched a lot of Pats games this year, but the way to beat the Steelers seems to be short/intermediate passes with minimal running. If they can't get pressure on the quarterback with 3-4 rushers, they're in trouble. Ike Taylor is a decent cornerback, but McFadden is average. I think a big part of the 4th quarter comebacks is because we have one of the oldest defenses in the league and they tire out. Plus injuries haven't helped either.

As for the offense, if you get quick pressure on Ben, it'll be a lot easier. Bruce Arians should have been fired in the off-season. The Saints blitzed like crazy and Arians never adjusted or did anything to change that. There were very few hot routes or screens to help take the pressure off. Ben is hard to take down and can make some amazing escapes, but this year without Holmes, the receivers aren't getting as open.

After watching the Steelers every week and screaming at the tv at times, this seems to be the way to beat them.

I agree at the short intermediate passing. Like i said before, Steelers seem to be weak against passing, hence Drew Brees in the Saints/Steelers game. They WILL shut the run down. They are too good against the run.

I also a gree with the older defense, they are very physical and tough but they tire fast after the half. Still a very dominant defense in my eyes. If Brady can march down field with short passes with mixes from Woody and BJGE, we'll have some success.

 

[MustaphaM0nd]

I haven't watched a lot of Pats games this year, but the way to beat the Steelers seems to be short/intermediate passes with minimal running. If they can't get pressure on the quarterback with 3-4 rushers, they're in trouble. Ike Taylor is a decent cornerback, but McFadden is average. I think a big part of the 4th quarter comebacks is because we have one of the oldest defenses in the league and they tire out. Plus injuries haven't helped either.

As for the offense, if you get quick pressure on Ben, it'll be a lot easier. Bruce Arians should have been fired in the off-season. The Saints blitzed like crazy and Arians never adjusted or did anything to change that. There were very few hot routes or screens to help take the pressure off. Ben is hard to take down and can make some amazing escapes, but this year without Holmes, the receivers aren't getting as open.

After watching the Steelers every week and screaming at the tv at times, this seems to be the way to beat them.

As far as the ground battle goes, I think the Steelers offense vs. Patriots defense will look more like NE vs. Minn. than this past Sunday, especially if BB does some good game-planning. The Pittsburgh offensive line does not have the horses Cleveland does, and this defense has been able to hold down AP and Ray Rice with varying levels of success.
The fear I have is that Cleveland just set a blueprint (run at Spikes) for future teams to follow. Should be a good game.

 

[lillloyd]

Not to be rude, but I cant see the Patriots defense stoping your offense, but than I dont see you stoping the #1 offense Pats, when you had problems with us and the Bengals.
This is going be a pretty interesting game to watch. LOL, with the browns, your right it would be better for you if they won.

So answer me this, can the Patriots defense stop your offense?

I almost view this as a pseudo-division game, in that there will be enough emotion out there that you can sort of throw stats out the window. I know the Pats haven't had a very good year defensively to date, but I wouldn't be surprised AT ALL if BB came up with a defensive game plan that thoroughly flustered our offense. We may be missing the left side of our OL too, so a good defensive scheme may add that much more confusion.

What's encouraging to me is the work that Hillis did last weekend. We'll have to test the Pats' run D. Our right side has the better road graders and that side should be intact, so hopefully we'll be able to run consistently. (OTOH I don't know if Cleveland's success was just due to Mangini knowing all of the offensive tendencies?)

 

[vyrago]

Thanks for the Saints and Steelers fans for keeping this thread less insane.

Embarrassing isn't PJ when fans of other teams have to be the voice of reason on our discussion list?

 

[jmt57]

defense HAS to step up this weekend. They will kill us if we don't.

I know what happened last week against Cleveland, a team that had previously sputtered on offense. However, the Pats were bad in every phases of the game, and I do think the Browns are better than their record indicates. Would have been nice for the Pats if they could have played the Browns a few weeks ago when Hillis was not 100% too.

Anyways, I don't think the Steelers offense is the Pats biggest concern. They're 27th in passing yards per game and 18th in yards per carry running the ball. Pittsburgh's offense is only 28th in yards per game but they are 16th in points per game. I'm sure much of that has to do with their league-leading +9 turnover ratio.

That ability to create turnovers versus the Patriots knack for not turning the ball over is key. I'm much more concerned that the Steelers defense - 4th in yards per game, first in points per game, and holding the opposition to 2.6 yards per carry - will put the Pats in predictable down and distances, 2nd and long, 3rd and long, and result in game changing turnovers.

I'm not saying Pittsburgh's offense versus the Pats defense is of no concern; just saying that to me the Steelers defense versus the Pats offense is of much more concern to me, in my opinion.

 

[lillloyd]

I'm not looking past them, or saying that they're an easy opponent. I personally expect a loss unless the Patriots play a very physical, near mistake free game. I understand that they're a physical team, but they do have a tendency to let their opponents hang around is all I'm saying. The Titans, Saints, Falcons, Bengals, Dolphins were all given more chances in the second half than they were in the first, either by allowing their offense to stall or their defense to get tired and start losing the ferocity and physical nature they start the game with.

Yup. Completely true. An unfortunate tendency dating back to last year (although this year we seem to be winning those close games instead of losing them).

In many of these games we were up by a fairly significant amount late in the game, and went to a prevent-style D. I don't know if it's so much that we relax, as it is we just don't play that style of defense well. We go from hyper-aggressive to soft VERY quickly. The CBs start giving huge cushions, and teams start to pick us apart. Plus I think BMac has been getting picked on quite a bit...

 

[lillloyd]

Thanks for the Saints and Steelers fans for keeping this thread less insane.

LOL you're welcome

Take comfort in the fact that just about every message board in the league goes apoplectic after a loss (Steelers fan boards included). Every fan base has its fair share of sky-is-falling sentiment after a bad loss. I think it's actually much easier for an opposing fan to see things with more objectivity...

 

[lillloyd]

agreed, GB looked great vs a paper tiger, but couldn't get a TD vs the Jets. Jets look bad on offense and barely beat the Lions. Giant look great vs the Seahawks but couldn't pass to save there lives in the 1st 4 games. Saints create TO's. lol

Seems a free for all, for teams like the Falcons and Vikings , who are overrated to have a shot.

So, if not to much trouble, explain how your #1-2 defense ( and they are good) stops the #1-2 offense (also very good), When you didn't stop our #14 Saints offense?

I agree with most of your points, your obviously a smart person, interested to hear what you have to say.

I think you could go crazy looking at things like this. What happens one week may have very little bearing on the next. (By this logic, how could the Saints beat the Steelers, but lose to the Browns?)

Most teams have a couple of clunkers during the season. This includes SB winners. The '08 Steelers looked horrendous in their Eagles loss; the '07 Giants came a 4th down goal line stand from starting 0-3; the '06 Colts gave up 300+ yards rushing in week 14 or 15; the '05 Steelers started 7-5. I believe even the Pats started one of their SB seasons losing 31-0 ('03?).

That all said, I think the Pats offense matches up very well against Pitt's D, and we'll have our hands full unless our pass rush is absolutely ferocious (but then, that is a possibility at home in a prime time game

 

[lillloyd]

the steelers pass rush comes from the outside were the pats have two of the best OT's in the game and great blocking TE's and other then polamalu, the steelers DB's are not much better then the pats

Is this true? I'm asking this genuinely...I thought they'd struggled somewhat in pass protection.

 

[averywhitehall]

This thread just goes to show how great Tom Brady is. So great that it's such a disappointment to the thread starter if he turns into McNabb: who is only a 6x Pro-bowler who led his team to 4 NFC Championships and 1 Superbowl. But hey, that the difference between a borderline HOF and the 21st greatest NFL player of all time according to the NFL mensa.

 

[lillloyd]

I know what happened last week against Cleveland, a team that had previously sputtered on offense. However, the Pats were bad in every phases of the game, and I do think the Browns are better than their record indicates.

For those of you Pats fans that think the Browns loss was somehow embarrassing, here's a good link--it lists the *current* strength of schedule and divides it up by games already played and games yet to be played.

Cleveland's SOS is by far the #1 SOS for the first half of the year in the AFC (65% opp winning percentage through the 1st 8 games--see the "Opponents of Played Games" column). They opened 0-3, but lost by 3 at Tampa, by 2 to KC, and by 7 away at Baltimore...and that was before they got Hillis and McCoy rolling. They could very easily be 5-3 despite a brutal early schedule.

AFC Strength of Schedule

 

[jmt57]

again, don't turn the ball over....

what does this game look like without the special teams fumble and the fumble at the end of the 2nd quarter? not saying the pats would have won, but that's 14 point swing in the first half.

what bothers me the most is how easy it was for mccoy to execute. the pats simply will not have a chance against that kind of running game while giving up easy 3rd and longs to a rookie 3rd string QB.

I just wonder because the browns have bigger nobodies at WR than the pats, and their TE is.....well.......never mind

so, they will hang in the game as long as they don't turn the ball over.

I agree that turnovers will be key. I know that sounds like I'm stating the obvious, but I feel in this game it will be even more difficult than usual for the Pats to overcome. The Steelers lead the league with a +9 turnover ratio.

However I do disagree somewhat with the comment about McCoy and 3rd & longs. Though the Pats did not do a good job on defense - Cleveland was 7/13, 53% - those conversions did not come on third and longs. The Browns kept putting themselves in to favorable 3rd down positions - 3rd and 1, 3rd and 3, etc. The few times they were in longer down and distance situations - 3rd and 7, 3rd and 12 - McCoy did not convert. Almost all of McCoy's completions came on typical running down & distance situations. Combine that with Hillis' success running the ball and it's easy to see why he completed a high percentage of his passes. He was only in a 3rd and long two or three times the entire game.

 

[jmt57]

Is this true? I'm asking this genuinely...I thought they'd struggled somewhat in pass protection.

I think some outside of New England may primarily think about SB42 against the Giants and last year's playoff loss to the Ravens, and conclude the Pats are offensive line is very weak. They're not nearly as bad as those two games would lead you to believe, but they're elite either. Football Outsiders ranks them 12th in pass protection (that seems a bit low to me) and 4th in run blocking (which seems a bit too high.) In the top ten but not in the top five sounds right to me.

 

[QB12]

After watching Deion Branch say Monday that next week the team WILL be different, we go down to Pittsburgh and smoke 'em, and shock the world, again. Branch KNOWS Sunday's game is beyond huge. He comes up big. Pats roll.

 

[ATippett56]

d) our pets HEADS ARE FALLING OFF

Is this your dog?

 

[convertedpatsfan]

There is no way the Pats will beat the Steelers, just mark this game down in the loss column right now.

Next Sundays game will be over by this time.

Bt the end of the 3rd quarter it will be over

... :singing: