Hello, everybody. As opposed to predicting tonight's affair between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Diego Chargers in my NFL Week 5 Preview article, I decided over the weekend that it would be a good idea to write a separate preview for the Black and Gold. Here, I will break down what I think the Steelers need to do in order to win a very important game in San Diego, as well as the likelihood of Pittsburgh being able to execute these keys to victory.
Control Phillip Rivers Enough
While I don't quite see Phillip Rivers as an elite quarterback, he is not far from it. What concerns John Butler and the Steeler defense is that Rivers has a well-known tendency to go off. While surfing ESPN.COM, I found a good article written by John Gruden on how the Steelers defense matches up against Rivers and company. The main point that Gruden stressed was that while the Steelers style of blitzing has been effective so far this season, it may work against them on Monday night. One blitz that the Steelers have used this season is the ''bison'' blitz, in which both the strong side linebacker and safety rush from the same side, while the defensive coverage is 2-deep, 4-under. Gruden wrote that the combination of Rivers's quick release, accuracy and preparation for the blitz could all work in his favor, a statement which has plenty of substance considering that Rivers has completed 74.4 percent of his passes against the blitz this season. Gruden also pointed out that Joe Flacco was able to take advantage of the ''bison'' by simply checking to a weakside running play when he saw that the Steelers would be blitzing.
I predict that, while Rivers is a better QB than Joe Flacco, the Steelers zone coverage, as well as the blitz, will cause him to make at least one crucial mistake. As for the possibility of switching to a running play, the Ravens have the luxury of having Justin Forsett in the backfield. San Diego has Melvin Gordon, who isn't nearly as good of an option, so I think that this will help the Steelers learn from their mistakes against Baltimore and contain the Chargers running game. I think that Rivers will have a very good passing night, likely throwing for over 300 yards. But will that be enough for San Diego to come away with a win?
Likelihood: Fair
Let Vick Loose
As I wrote in my recap of the Steelers dreadful Thursday night loss to the Ravens, Todd Haley was simply far too careful with Mike Vick and did not give him enough opportunities to make plays. Assuming Haley has a brain, I think that he will use Vick properly tonight, and this will involve more passes to Antonio Brown. If the Steelers have any excuse for their overly conservate offensive strategy against Baltimore, it is that Vick only had one full day of practice under his belt. Now, with far more preparation, the Steelers have no excuse. Vick is not a rookie. He has been in this game long enough to lead an offense, and he is capable of holding down the fort until #7 comes back. Vick can help the Steelers with both his arm and feet, and I don't think Haley will make the mistake of misusing his talents twice.
Likelihood: Strong
Le'Veon Bell does what he does (with some help from DeAngelo Williams)
Le'Veon Bell is the best all-around running back in the game, as well as the most important player on this Steelers offense. The Chargers run defense is extremely poor, ranking 29th out of 32 teams in the league, so there is no reason to believe that Bell will not have a big game tonight. One thing that I did not mention in my article regarding that collapse against Baltimore was that since Bell's return from suspension in week 3, the Steelers other running back, DeAngelo Williams, has been horribly misused. Williams played very well in Bell's absence, and I think that the Steelers offense would be much better off if Todd Haley would allow Williams to take some weight off of Bell's shoulders, which is something that every running back desires. So, I think that there is a mixed likelihood here. I think that Bell will have a big game as he usually does, but that Williams will continue to be misused by the Steelers coaching staff for some odd reason.
Likelihood: Very Strong/Unlikely
Final Prediction
This is a game that the Steelers have to win. With a very tough road ahead, Pittsburgh simply cannot afford to fall to 2-3. It will be a close game, but I do not see San Diego's defense(which has not allowed less than 24 points in 4 games this season), being good enough to stop the Steelers offensive attack, even without Ben Roethlisberger. Mike Vick is good enough to make plays, and Le'Veon Bell is simply awesome. Phillip Rivers will make some big plays tonight, and this will allow the Chargers to keep it close. However, the Steelers offense will just be too much for San Diego to handle, and their defense will make just enough plays to hold on for what would be a big, big win.
Steelers 34, Chargers 27
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