Chicago Bears vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Preview, Prediction, TV Info and more
By Matt Shetler
Key For Steelers:
Sep 16, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) drops back to pass during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
1. Create a turnover: It’s been over two years since the Steelers defense has had success taking the ball away. Through two weeks the Steelers haven’t created a single turnover and their minus-four giveaway/takeaway ratio is the worst in the AFC and only the New York Giants have a worse ratio in all of football. There’s no time like the present to get back to making big plays.
2. Take the handcuffs off Big Ben: Steelers’ offensive coordinator Todd Haley has not been playing to his quarterback’s strengths and it has hurt the Steelers in a big way. When under pressure last season, Ben Roethlisberger posted a 55.6 completion percentage out of the pocket and a 49.1 rate inside the pocket. This season Roethlisberger has only two total passes outside the pocket, and his performance under pressure has dipped. It’s time to let Big Ben play his game or the Steelers will be 0-3 and the ship will be sinking fast.
In the second year under Haley, Roethlisberger has completed 58.6 percent of his passes. He’s thrown two touchdowns and two interceptions while being sacked seven times behind a rebuilt offensive line that’s missing injured center Maurkice Pouncey. The Steelers might get a big boost from the return of Big Ben’s favorite weapon in tight end Heath Miller, but if Haley doesn’t take the handcuffs off of Roethlisberger it won’t matter much.
3. Switch to zone: The Steelers will be making the switch to the zone blocking scheme, something they had worked on all preseason, yet have only used on one play during the first two games- the play that they lost Pro-Bowl center Pouncey. Felix Jones will get the bulk of the workload this week and the Steelers must find a way to run the football better than the 31st ranked rushing team they have been through two weeks.
Key Matchup:
Ike Taylor vs. Brandon Marshall: After being matched up against A.J. Green a week ago, Taylor draws another tough matchup this week in Marshall, who has 15 receptions for 217 yards and a pair of touchdowns through two weeks. Taylor did a great job on Green Monday night and will have to do the same to Marshall for the Steelers to have any kind of chance.
Prediction: Chicago, which has not played in Pittsburgh since 2005, has dropped two straight and five of six there. The Bears, however, appear to have a more dependable offense than in recent years. They can make big plays defensively and when they do they turn them into points. The Steelers can’t say that. At the end of the day, the Steelers are still a team that has run for only 75 yards, scored a mere 19 points and continues to have mental breakdowns on both sides of the ball. Playing on a short week, I don’t like their chances much. Bears 23, Steelers 17.