Week 9 Scouting Report: Pittsburgh Steelers

Now that the Red Sox have taken care of business, it's time to start thinking about this weeks matchup. Historical powerhouse Pittsburgh limp into Foxborough this week at 2-5, but no game is a sure thing considering the injuries and inconsistency that have plagued this Patriots season. Lets take a look at the matchups that should determine this game.

When the Steelers have the ball:

Pittsburgh has had it's issues on offense, but they also have several playmakers that must be accounted for on every snap. As usual, Pittsburgh has issues with it's offensive line that have hampered a solid group of playmakers from getting going. If the Pats can exploit that weakness, they should be able to limit the Steelers offense. If not, it could be a long day.


Pittsburgh clearly plays better when they get their running game going and rookie running back Le'Veon Bell has looked good since missing the season's first three weeks with a foot injury. He hasn't always had a ton of room to run thanks to the porous offensive line, but he has displayed an impressive combination of patience, explosiveness and power. The Patriots have struggled against the run since losing stalwart DT Vince Wilfork, but made a trade to shore up their front this week by acquiring Eagles DT Isaac Sopoaga. His presence inside should plug up some of the holes in the run defense, but the Steelers will be sure to test that theory early. Sound tackling will be key for the entire defense against Bell, who has displayed a real knack for breaking tackles early in his young career.

The Steelers passing game lost Mike Wallace to the Dolphins this offseason, but still boasts a trio of accomplished targets in Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders and Heath Miller. Brown has quietly emerged as one of the best receivers in the entire AFC this year, tallying 56 catches for 630 yards in only 7 games. Sanders, who came this close to becoming a Patriot this offseason, has dynamic ability as a secondary target, while the finally healthy Miller is as reliable as they come at tight end. Throw in career Pats killer Jerricho Cotchery as a third receiver and you have a very solid group of targets for Ben Roethelberger.

If Aqib Talib makes his return to the lineup this week, expect him to get tasked with shutting down Brown. If he remains sidelined, it will become more of a group effort, with Alfonzo Dennard, Logan Ryan and Kyle Arrington all likely to get a shot at him during the game. Miller isn't as explosive athletically as some of the tight ends this team has faced, but he still must be accounted for due to his good route running and excellent hands.

Roethlesberger has made his share of plays this season. His completion percentage is a rock solid 66.2% and he's thrown for a healthy 275 yards a game. However, the issue with the Steelers continues to be negative plays, usually due to the failings of the offensive line. Despite being one of the hardest quarterbacks to bring down (Bill Belichick joked about using enormous LT Nate Solder at scout team QB this week), Roethlesberger has been sacked 26 times already this year. He's also already thrown an uncharacteristic 7 interceptions.

Taking a look at his offensive line explains those numbers. An already mediocre line lost it's best player when center Maurkice Pouncey went down with a torn ACL and MCL Week One. They've already seen starting left tackle Mike Adams get benched for his poor play. David DeCastro has started to flash the ability that made him a first round pick last year, but he hasn't practiced the past few days with an ankle injury. Against this porous line, the opportunities should be there for the defense to expand it's turnover forcing streak to 36 consecutive games.

When the Patriots have the ball:

Are the Steelers defense bad? No, not really. They've held teams to a respectable 21.9 points per game, a figure that ranks 14th in the NFL. However, they are no longer the elite defense that have carried the team to three Super Bowl appearances and two titles in the past decade. Age (Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark, Ike Taylor, Brett Keisel and Larry Foote all find themselves well on the wrong side of 30) and attrition have knocked this defense down a peg or two. They will still give you a fight, but they are a far cry from the Steelers team that roughed up the Pats back in 2011.

The biggest drop off in this Pittsburgh defense has been the pass rush. The Steelers have tallied a measly 10 sacks all season, with half of those coming from LaMarr Woodley. It's hard to see where the pass rush will come from if new right tackle Marcus Cannon can handle Woodley. James Harrison is in Cincinnati and first round pick Jarvis Jones, expected to step up and become a stud, has been benched for the uninspiring Jason Worilds. Perhaps fewer Subway commercials are in order, Mr. Jones.

If the Patriots line can protect Tom Brady, he'll see some familiar but aging faces in the Steeler secondary. It's never a good sign when your three best defensive backs are all over 30, but that's the case with Polamalu (32), Clark (34) and Taylor (33). Polamalu remains a threat at all times, but Taylor and Clark are starting to show some chinks in the armor. From a Patriots perspective, it will be interesting to see if Aaron Dobson continues to take snaps away from fellow rookie Kenbrell Thompkins.

Two other matchups to watch: how do the Steelers cover the three-headed slot monster of Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman and Austin Collie? Do they dare to use a linebacker on Rob Gronkowski, or test one of Clark or Polamalu on him? Gronkowski is one weapon the Steelers don't have an obvious answer for. Look for him to have a big game this week as the Patriots keep looking to get him involved.

The Patriots will be well served if they look to offset their inconsistent passing game with a strong performance on the ground. Stevan Ridley has had the hot hand recently, but has seen a puzzling lack of carries at times. After abandoning the run early in both of their losses, Josh McDaniels did call for a run-heavy game plan against Miami last week. However, Ridley still only got 14 carries, despite getting over 5 yards a pop. Whether McDaniels uses Ridley like a feature back remains to be seen, but look for the Patriots to pound the ball inside regardless of who lines up behind Brady. Teams have been able to run on Pittsburgh with some success, and the Patriots have generally been productive running the ball this season.

Special Teams/Coaching/Intangibles

Couple of interest things to note on special teams. First is the Steelers cancelling Zoltan Mesko's New England reunion by cutting him earlier this week. Mesko had struggled throughout the first half of the season. He will be replaced by veteran free agent Mat McBriar.

Antonio Brown is enough of a handful on offense, but the Steelers receiver is also an explosive threat as a punt returner. Rookie punter Ryan Allen will be called on to continue his strong play and limit Brown's chances to return the ball. Allen has played extremely well recently and will need to continue to do so, as field position remains very important in the close games the Patriots have been playing.

It's a tale of two kickers in this game. Pittsburgh's Shaun Suisham missed two kicks last week that could have propelled the Steelers to a win. On the other side, New England's Stephen Gostkowski has made 15 consecutive field goals, including a perfect 9-9 in October, and was rewarded for his efforts this week with the AFC's Special Teams Player of the Month for October. Gostkowski's reliability gives the Patriots an edge in this department.

The coaching matchup pits Bill Belichick against Mike Tomlin in a battle of two proven coaches doing an admirable job despite some roster deficiencies. Pittsburgh may be 2-5, but a lack of preparation hasn't been the problem there.

Finally, it will be interesting to see if the Patriots, playing at home, get any boost from the region-wide excitement over the Red Sox stunning World Series Championship. Patriots hero Tedy Bruschi noted on ESPN Boston that athletes generally do follow the other sports in town and often derive motivation from the other successes in town. Lets see if the Pats come out with extra motivation to match Boston's bearded ones.