The Pittsburgh Steelers got off to another slow start against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday night, but rebounded to control the second half and beat the Chargers 35-24. The Steelers running game finally got on track, with running back Willie Parker rushing for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Both the Steelers offense and defense did just enough to attain a 14-10 halftime lead, but the offense opened up the second half with a 13 play drive ending in a Ben Roethlisberger to tight end Heath Miller 7 yard touchdown pass.
The Chargers opened up the game with a 4 play drive ending in a 41 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Philip Rivers to wide receiver Vincent Jackson. The Steelers answered with a Santonio Holmes 67 yard punt return for a touchdown. After a Nate Kaeding 42 yard field goal with 2 minutes left in the half, the Steelers answered with a 7 play, 66 yard drive culminating with a the first of two Parker touchdown runs.
The Steelers dominated the second half, with the Chargers only getting to run one play in the third quarter which resulted in an interception by linebacker Larry Foote. The Steelers tacked on two more scores on offense in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Roethlisberger ended with 181 yards passing on 17 attempts and wide receiver Hines Ward led the Steelers with 70 yards on 4 catches.
The Steelers next move on to host the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday evening. Kickoff time is 6:30 P.M. eastern. The Steelers have beaten the Ravens twice this year and look to make it three in a row to move on to the franchise's seventh Super Bowl appearance.
The San Diego Chargers visit Heinz Field to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers this evening. The Chargers will likely be without the services of running back LaDainian Tomlinson and will rely on a mixture of running backs Darren Sproles and Michael Bennett. The Steelers run defense is ranked second in the league, allowing just 80.2 yards a game. Quarterback Philip Rivers will look to work the ball into tight end Antonio Gates underneath and receivers Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers along the corners. They key to the Chargers on offense will be to get Sproles involved in the screen and keep the pressure off of Rivers in the pocket.
Offensively for the Steelers, they must get the ground game going against a Charger defense that can be run on to set up the play action to take their shots deep to receivers Santonio Holmes and Nate Washington. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will also look to work the ball underneath the receiver Hines Ward and tight end Heath Miller. The Steeler offensive line must keep the pressure away from Roethlisberger. The Steelers need to play ball control with no turnovers and take whatever the Chargers give them in the passing game.
On defense, the Steelers will look to mix up blitz packages and force Sproles to help in the blitz pickup where Sproles is undersized. Safety Troy Polamalu or a linebacker will likely be positioned to spy Sproles in the passing game. The Steelers will make the Chargers prove they can run against a minimal 7 man front first.
Special teams will likely play a huge part in the game and Steeler punter Mitch Berger must try to be as effective as Chargers punter Mike Scifres. Steelers kicker Jeff Reed should have the edge over Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding.
The story as with most playoff games is simply. Play good defense, control the ball by running effectively and limit turnovers. The Steelers should be able to handle all three of these important phases. The Chargers will real miss the services of Tomlinson in this one and the Steelers should dominate the stat sheet and the scoreboard in this one.
Prediction: Steelers 23 Chargers 10
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media on Tuesday in preparation for the playoff match-up this Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. Tomlin started with his usual praise of the opposition. Tomlin praised the play of Philip Rivers, Vincent Jackson, Antonio Gates and Darren Sproles on the offensive side of the ball. Tomlin said the Steelers are preparing as if LaDainian Tomlinson will play and will be ready for both running backs. Tomlin said the Chargers have a great screen game that needs paying attention to. The Steelers had a great day of work yesterday and the team is off today. They will continue work on Wednesday. Injury wise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will not have a short leash because of his recent concussion and Tomlin is not worried about him. Other injured players, safety Ryan Clark and linebacker James Harrison, who missed the game against Cleveland are practicing and should be able to start Sunday. Health wise the Steelers are in great shape.
