Steelers @ Titans
The news is not good regarding Polamalu and Woodley. Both players are expect to be sitting out on Thursday night against the Tenn. Titans.
Polamalu re-aggravated his calf against the Eagles last week.
The good news is Mendenhall and Harrison will likely play.
Ben Roethlisberger is within 300 yards of besting Terry Bradshaw's 29,989 yards for completing the most yards in Steeler history.
Steelers: The Good and The Bad
In looking only at the stats for the Steelers to date, there are some good numbers. There are also some bad numbers.
The Good:
- Steelers are ranked 3rd in the league for third-down conversions with 33.
- They are 3rd in the league for fourth-down conversions with 3.
- Steelers are ranked 8th in passing TD's with 8.
The Bad:
- In yards-per-play rushing Steelers are near the bottom with 3.2 ranked 30th.
- They only have one interception recorded placing them near the bottom, ranked 30th.
- For rushing first downs they are ranked 25th with 20.
- They are ranked 27th for total offensive yards at 1391.
- Steelers are 28th with total rushing yards of 331.
- For average yards per offensive play they're 26th at 5.13
In summary, if you're a numbers crushing fan, you can clearly see where the Steelers are weak. It's conspicuous. The strength of the team, to date, continues to rest with Roethlisberger. Quite frankly, that's not good enough when the Steelers still have two games coming up with the Ravens, a game with the Giants, Cowboys, and San Diego.
Outlook Against Titans
Titans are currently 1 in 4 in a division now being dominated by Houston. They are expected to start QB Matt Hasselbeck in place of injured Jake Locker. Hasselbeck is sitting on 4 turnovers in the 2 games in which he played. Nevertheless, Hasselbeck cannot be taken lightly by the Steelers. He's a 14 year veteran who took the Seahawks to the Super Bowl in 2005. He's also a three-time pro-bowler. In his first season with the Titans, he threw for over 3,500 yards. He's only been surpassed by Warren Moon in franchise history.
Chris Johnson is not having a good year with 73 carries for only 210 yards. He's also not scored a touchdown in 5 games.
To date, the Titans have not been successful in stopping the run. They are also having problems defending against the pass.
Shawn Suisham Honored As AFC Special Teams Player Of The Week
Due to his clutch performance against the Eagles last week, Suisham was recognized as AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. This marks the second time Suisham has been honored. In 2007, when playing for the Redskins, he received the same recognition by the NFC.
In last week's game against the Eagles, he was 3-for-3. He won the game with a 34-yarder with no time left on the game clock. It marked his fifth game-winning field goal.
Suisham is now 8-for-8 on the season.
Sources: City Paper Nashville, Fox Sports, Steelers.com, Bleacher Report and my little brain.
