The weakest link in Steelers offense is their lack of reliable depth and....Big Ben?

[brdmaverick]

That's if they put Butler on him. They didn't do that this year for most of the game..

But he has a 'commercial reputation' to defend. I guess the commercail didn't work though b/c I can't remember what pizza chain that was for.

 

[ViperGTS]

I haven't watched that game in awhile, but I recall our defenders trying to tackle Bell looking like someone trying to grab a fish out of water.

Yup. They'll do some thing that will limit Bell. Branch and Brown are a boatload to try and move and Trey Flowers is asserting himself as well. With Hightower roaming behind the LOS, it allows them to,plug gaps and maybe have someone catch him from behind.

 

[DaBruinz]

Yup. They'll do some thing that will limit Bell. Branch and Brown are a boatload to try and move and Trey Flowers is asserting himself as well. With Hightower roaming behind the LOS, it allows them to,plug gaps and maybe have someone catch him from behind.

Some things of note:

• The week 7 matchup was Jamie Collins' 2nd to last as a Patriot. The defense is arguably better since then.
• Neither Vincent Valentine nor Woody Hamilton played in this game. Anthony Johnson was the 3rd DT. Valentine is easily an upgrade over Johnson against the run. Johnson is now with the Jets.
• The Patriots had Gronkowski, but not Dion Lewis. The Patriots Run game is more dynamic with Lewis in there.
  
• The Steelers were without stud DE Cam Hayward and QB Big Ben.
• LeGarrette Blount ran roughshod over the Steelers putting up 127 yards on 24 carries and 2 TDs
• The best RB that the Steelers faced since Blount is Ezekiel Elliot. Elliot put up 114 yards on 21 carries and 2 TDs. Yes, Cam Heyward played in this game.
• The Steelers haven't lost a game this year where Bell puts up more than 85 yards rushing.
• In the Steelers 4 losses, Bell was held to less than 85 yards rushing.
• There was only 1 game this season where Bell was held under 85 yards that the Steelers won. And that was against the hapless Jets in week 5.
• In the 3 games where the Steelers defense has given up 2 Rushing TDs, they've eventually lost the game.

 

[shmessy]

Big Ben didn't play in the last game of the season.. Jones did.. Because Big Ben was nursing an injury.. f

That's great.

Did he play the following week against the Dolphins in the playoffs? Did he play Sunday night in Kansas City? Did his team win both playoff games?

I understand he is banged up a bit, but I was responding to a statement of "He is not a healthy man on a number of levels." That just sounded a bit drastic.

It's not like he's dying anytime soon or anything. He's still able to get the job done and I expect the Pats to do what they always do and not let up on him.

 

[shmessy]

Some things of note:

• The week 7 matchup was Jamie Collins last as a Patriot. The defense is arguably better since then.

Collins played for the Pats one week later (week 8) against the Bills and had 2 tackles (1 assisted).

He was traded during the bye week before the Seattle game.

 

[moejr]

Bell is a really good player, no doubt about it, I just feel like Belichick has so much experience and knowledge, and that he knew this match up was a strong likelihood, that he has been working on the way to handle Bell's running style. I'm actually much more concerned with Bell coming out of the backfield as a receiver than I am his running from scrimmage. I can't remember the last time a team beat the Patriots with their run game. (Possibly the wildcat game against Miami?) Denver had Moreno run for 225 against them and still lost.

Bell ran for 170 against KC and still had no TD's. We held him to 81 yards in week 7 and hopefully we can come close to that Sunday

 

[DaBruinz]

Bell ran for 170 against KC and still had no TD's. We held him to 81 yards in week 7 and hopefully we can come close to that Sunday

170 yards and the Steelers won.. Fits what I've said.. You let him put up more than 85 yards, and the Steelers win..

 

[SalemPats]

I wouldn't say Big Ben since without him they don't make the playoffs.

Big Ben won't beat us, he's banged up and playing hurt. We need to contain Bell, especially in the receiving game.

 

[deroc5050]

Biggest reasons for a Patriots comfortable win. 1.) New England has a more dynamic offense. 2.) Big Ben has struggled on the road. 3.) The Patriots are stout against the run. 4.) The Patriots limit big plays. 5.) if history is any indication, which in this case I believe it to be.. New England has owned Pittsburgh for the most part.

The 2 intersting trends that have developed for both teams over the past 8 games is that they are both basically holding teams to 16 PPG. Which defense gets exposed? Will the Steelers throw in some new wrinkles and confuse Brady? Does New Englands defense hold up, given that this is the first real offensive test they have faced in a long time.

My gut tells me the Patriots roll. And roll big time. Unless the refs want to suit up for Pittsburgh.

31-24 but Pitt scores late in the 4th and tries and onsides kick.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

I wouldn't say Big Ben since without him they don't make the playoffs.

I say Big Ben is the "weak link" because he's been the biggest liability on offense.

• He has a 20:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio at home, but just 9:8 on the road this year, with a measly 78.4 passer rating.

• He has thrown an interception in three of his last four games, and he’s not always on the same page with his young receivers. Roethlisberger also threw just 21 touchdown passes this year in 12 games, after throwing 32 last season on 469 passes attempts (a 4.5 percent touchdown percentage, which is his lowest figure in that category that he has posted since 2011)

• Even more concerning is the fact that he threw the second-most interceptions that he ever has, even while missing a quarter of the season. His 16 interceptions was only bested by the clear outlier of 23 interceptions in 2006, the year in which he had an offseason motorcycle accident, an emergency appendectomy, and a concussion. But Roethlisberger's 3.4 interception percentage is the third-highest figure of his career. He has only posted five total figures of over five percent in his career, and four were all within his first five seasons.

• According to Football Outsiders, Roethlisberger also led the league with 13 dropped interceptions to go along with his 13 actual interceptions (in 14 games). And according to Pro Football Focus, 4.72 percent of all of Roethlisberger’s throws were considered turnover-worthy, which ranked 27th out of the 29 quarterbacks with at least 400 pass attempts.

• The irony in all this is that Roethlisberger is being protected better than ever. When he went to the Super Bowl in 2010 and won it in 2008, he played behind an offensive line with an adjusted sack rate that ranked 29th. This year, the Steelers’ O-line ranks fourth. Roethlisberger was sacked a career-low 17 times during the regular season, and per PFF, he saw pressure on just 23.2 percent of his dropbacks—down from 29.3 percent in 2015.

What does it say about his performance this year, then, that he has been playing some of his least efficient ball ever in terms of scoring and protecting the ball, in spite of the fact that he has received great pass protection?

If the Patriots can take out Brown with two defenders and dedicate everyone else to swarming around Bell, I feel they should be able to keep the Steelers in long distance situations where Roethlisberger’s inconsistent ball placement costs him against tight man coverage.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Rapistburger has a very easy read progression. He looks to brown, then #17, then either check down to bell or th tight end.

We have to put eight on the box to make rapistburger pass the ball.

Butler and mccourty take brown, Ryan squats on #17. Chung is one on one with the tight end.

That leaves can van noy on brown. Should be interesting.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

For a qb with an all time great receiver, running back and top 5 o-line, Ben has been incredibly average this year.

I should probably be a lot more afraid then I am, but I believe in BBs ability to limit either brown or bell, and don't see who else is going to be able to beat us.

The Steelers have been using Bell and Brown so heavily... I cant see how they can sustain that without becoming one-dimensional.



If they're going to win in Foxborough, Big Ben is going to have to spread the ball around, and the othet weapons have to step up and make plays.

This statement by Hill is just nonsense. The two points ("Brown and Bell account for 52% of the offense", "not many are other consistent threats") he made are basically mutually exclusive. When you heavily revolve your offense around Bell/Brown, of course the numbers of other players are going to look pedestrian. That's not a knock on their other players, it's just a testament to how good Bell and Brown are.

The numbers of the supporting cast are not far off from Atlanta's, but Pittsburgh focuses on Brown even more (Brown had 155 targets this year, Julio had 129).

Regardless of how accurate Rich Hill, the goal is the same: Negate (as much as possible) the primary strengh of your opponent, and compel him to beat you in ways he's not accustomed to using.

If the Patriots manage to limit Bell and Brown, the pressure will be on the #3 and #4 weapons to fill the void

 

[SalemPats]

I say Big Ben is the "weak link" because he's been the biggest liability on offense.

• He has a 20:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio at home, but just 9:8 on the road this year, with a measly 78.4 passer rating.

• He has thrown an interception in three of his last four games, and he’s not always on the same page with his young receivers. Roethlisberger also threw just 21 touchdown passes this year in 12 games, after throwing 32 last season on 469 passes attempts (a 4.5 percent touchdown percentage, which is his lowest figure in that category that he has posted since 2011)

• Even more concerning is the fact that he threw the second-most interceptions that he ever has, even while missing a quarter of the season. His 16 interceptions was only bested by the clear outlier of 23 interceptions in 2006, the year in which he had an offseason motorcycle accident, an emergency appendectomy, and a concussion. But Roethlisberger's 3.4 interception percentage is the third-highest figure of his career. He has only posted five total figures of over five percent in his career, and four were all within his first five seasons.

• According to Football Outsiders, Roethlisberger also led the league with 13 dropped interceptions to go along with his 13 actual interceptions (in 14 games). And according to Pro Football Focus, 4.72 percent of all of Roethlisberger’s throws were considered turnover-worthy, which ranked 27th out of the 29 quarterbacks with at least 400 pass attempts.

• The irony in all this is that Roethlisberger is being protected better than ever. When he went to the Super Bowl in 2010 and won it in 2008, he played behind an offensive line with an adjusted sack rate that ranked 29th. This year, the Steelers’ O-line ranks fourth. Roethlisberger was sacked a career-low 17 times during the regular season, and per PFF, he saw pressure on just 23.2 percent of his dropbacks—down from 29.3 percent in 2015.

What does it say about his performance this year, then, that he has been playing some of his least efficient ball ever in terms of scoring and protecting the ball, in spite of the fact that he has received great pass protection?

If the Patriots can take out Brown with two defenders and dedicate everyone else to swarming around Bell, I feel they should be able to keep the Steelers in long distance situations where Roethlisberger’s inconsistent ball placement costs him against tight man coverage.

You can quote any stat you want to, but without Big Ben they are not a playoff team and not even in the discussion. To say he is the weak link makes no sense at all. You take out A Brown and Bell and they still have a chance to win, you take out Big Ben and they have no chance.

 

[SalemPats]

Rapistburger has a very easy read progression. He looks to brown, then #17, then either check down to bell or th tight end.

We have to put eight on the box to make rapistburger pass the ball.

Butler and mccourty take brown, Ryan squats on #17. Chung is one on one with the tight end.

That leaves can van noy on brown. Should be interesting.

Ryan struggles a bit against quick receivers, he's more suited to play against physical receivers. I think we will have to play a bit more base with McCourty playing a bit more like a center fielder providing support for anyone who gets beat. The game will be Butler vs Brown and i'm confident Butler can contain him

 

[FourierSeries]

Which defense gets exposed? Will the Steelers throw in some new wrinkles and confuse Brady?

I'd lay money on NE being the team that confuses Pittsburgh's offense as they did vs Baltimore. We're likely to see the most creative defensive gameplans of the season by Bill and Matt this week and in SB51.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

You can quote any stat you want to, but without Big Ben they are not a playoff team and not even in the discussion. To say he is the weak link makes no sense at all. You take out A Brown and Bell and they still have a chance to win, you take out Big Ben and they have no chance.

A "weak link" is only a relative term. Every elite offense has potential weaknesses that can be exploited. Of course, that doesn't mean you take them for granted either. Trust me, Belichick won't either.

Also, I'm not dismissing Roethlisberger or downplaying his importance. But scheme-wise, Pittsburgh's offense is most efficient when it runs through Le’Veon Bell. And if you can limit Bell on the ground and force Roethlisberger into using receivers other than Brown (easier said then done, right?) you have a much better chance of forcing him into bad decisions and creating turnovers - even more so, now that he's playing on the road.

 

[SalemPats]

A "weak link" is only a relative term. Every elite offense has potential weaknesses that can be exploited. Of course, that doesn't mean you take them for granted either. Trust me, Belichick won't either.

Also, I'm not dismissing Roethlisberger or downplaying his importance. But scheme-wise, Pittsburgh's offense is most efficient when it runs through Le’Veon Bell. And if you can limit Bell on the ground and force Roethlisberger into using receivers other than Brown (easier said then done, right?) you have a much better chance of forcing him into bad decisions and creating turnovers - even more so, now that he's playing on the road.

If you take away Big Ben's weapons the offense in trouble, but he runs everything. Look at Brown's numbers with and without Big Ben.

What we have to do is get pressure on Ben. He's hurting and not moving as well.

 

[fnordcircle]

Ben retires before Brady.

 

[Soul_Survivor88]

The Completion Percentage, YDs, TD, INTS, YPA, and passer rating for Roethlisberger's primary receivers

X-Factors: Patriots vs. Steelers, AFCCG

When your offense is being carried by Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, those are the first two things Bill Belichick will take away from the Steelers. For the Steelers it comes down to their 3rd, 4th, and 5th options to win. That means Eli Rogers will need to have a big day for the Steelers. Rogers lines up primarily from the slot, which means he’ll likely draw Logan Ryan in coverage. Ryan has been very stingy of late, which means every play that Rogers gets will be earned. While the Steelers 4th and 5th options include TE Jesse James and WR Cobi Hamilton/Sammie Coates, the Patriots aren’t going to lose sleep over having to defend either of them. If Rogers is able to move the chains, that will allow the Steelers to control the ball and put points up on the Patriots defense. Logan Ryan needs to prevent that from happening.​

AFC Championship Preview: Steelers WRs vs. Patriots DBs

The Steelers must enter this game with a balanced attack, and not be reliant on the passing game to move the ball. I envision the Steelers doing exactly what they did vs. the Kansas City Chief sby opening up the game throwing, and helping to create space for Le’Veon Bell to run. Typically, the second drive of the game has been very run-heavy throughout the playoffs, and that trend will likely continue.​

Nonetheless, the Steelers will need to rely on their secondary matchups if they want to punch their ticket to Super Bowl 51. Eli Rogers, Darrius Heyward-Bey and even Cobi Hamilton, not to mention the tight ends and Bell coming out of the backfield, need to win their one-on-one matchups as the Patriots will likely try to take Brown out of the game entirely.​

 

[SVN]

via reddit from a pittsburgh fan

"If I've learned one thing about him over the years it's that the quality of the opponents defense has almost nothing to do with how he'll play. Last year's Denver D? No problem, I'll just torch them. Last year's Ravens practice squad? How about a 60ish passer rating."