St Louis Rams Face Tough Task Against Pittsburgh Steelers

Friday, December 23, 2011

by Aengus Moorehead

St Louis Rams Face Tough Task Against Pittsburgh Steelers

Analysis:
If they hope to prolong their post season tenure, the Pittsburgh Steelers need quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to be healthy. Although they're not willing to give up on winning the AFC North yet, Roethlisberger will try to endure a sprained left ankle when the Steelers host the St Louis Rams on Saturday at Heinz Field.

Pittsburgh's hopes of winning the division took a blow with Monday's 20-3 loss at San Francisco, a game in which Roethlisberger threw three interceptions and was sacked three times while clearly hobbled by the high ankle sprain. The Steelers remain tied with Baltimore atop the division, but the Ravens hold the tiebreaker by virtue of sweeping the season series.

Given what is at stake for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it comes as no surprise that Ben Roethlisberger would rather play than rest his injured ankle.

With the St Louis Rams two games away from ending a very disappointing 2011 season, they won't be taking the same chance with their prized quarterback.

With or without Roethlisberger, the Steelers look to stay in the hunt for one of the AFC's top seeds this Saturday versus a visiting Rams club hoping to avoid its second six-game losing streak of the season.

Mike Tomlin said he never thought about taking Roethlisberger out of the game despite his quarterback clearly being limited by the ankle injury. He'll have a decision to make in this game with Pittsburgh five days after the meeting with the Niners.

With the Steelers having already clinched a playoff spot, there were reports that Roethlisberger would be shut down for the final two games, something he denied on Wednesday.

While Roethlisberger's status likely won't be determined until Saturday, Pittsburgh will have linebacker James Harrison back as it tries to post a 7-1 record at home for the first time since 2007. Harrison was suspended for Monday's game following a hit to the head on Browns quarterback Colt McCoy.

Though Sam Bradford shares Roethlisberger's enthusiasm for getting back on the field, he is likely to miss his second straight game due to his own ankle issue, one that has held him out of four contests this year. Despite the Rams' 2-12 record, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year wants to return before the season is out.

With Bradford unable to go this past weekend, Kellen Clemens got his first start since 2009 with the Jets and played solid under center, but St. Louis still dropped a 20-13 decision to the Bengals.

Clemens was thrust into action after being claimed off waivers on Dec. 8 with both Bradford and A.J. Feeley (right thumb) out. He'll likely get the call again this Saturday.

The Rams own a 15-6-2 advantage in a regular-season series with Pittsburgh that dates back to 1938, but the Steelers were 41-24 winners when the teams last met in a 2007 encounter in St. Louis. The Rams prevailed in their one and only lifetime visit to Heinz Field, registering a 33-21 decision there in 2003 to stop a four-game losing streak in the Steel City.

The most famous clash between these franchises took place in Super Bowl XIV, a 31-19 victory by the Steelers at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 20, 1980.

Pittsburgh's 2007 win at the Edward Jones Dome gave Tomlin a 1-0 career record against the Rams, while Steve Spagnuolo will be opposing both Pittsburgh and Tomlin for the first time in a head coaching capacity.

Time & Venue:
- 1:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 24, 2011. Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Last Week's results:
- St Louis Rams (+6) loses to visiting Cincinnati Bengals 20-13.
- Pittsburgh Steelers (+2.5) loses to host San Francisco 49ers 20-3.

Last week's ATS:
- Underdog St Louis Rams (2-12) and does not cover
- Underdog Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4) loses and does not cover.

NFL Football Odds: Steelers, -15.5, O/U 37.5

Next up:
- St. Louis home to San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, January 1
- Pittsburgh at Cleveland Browns, Sunday, January 1

St. Louis has lost five straight, and the last four have come without Bradford, who is sidelined with a left high ankle sprain. Kellen Clemens made his first start in two seasons and the 10th of his six-year career last week, throwing for 229 yards and a touchdown on 25-of-36 passing, and he is expected to get the nod again this week. No matter who has started under center, the Rams have struggled on offense. They rank 30th in total yards (285.3 per game) and last in scoring (11.9 points per game), and their luck isn't likely to change against one of the league's top defenses.

Pittsburgh leads the league in total defense (276.9 yards per game) and pass defense (179.6 yards per game) and ranks second in scoring defense (15.6 points per game). But a solid defensive effort wasn't enough Monday, as the offense was unable to cash in on opportunities. Roethlisberger has put up big numbers – he needs only 144 passing yards to reach 4,000 for the second time in his career – but he was not himself against the 49ers, throwing a season-high three interceptions. The loss knocked the Steelers from the potential No. 1 seed in the AFC to the No. 5 seed if the playoffs started this week.

The health of Roethlisberger obviously impacts the entire Steelers offense and he has thrown all but four of Pittsburgh's pass attempts this year. St. Louis can create pressure and Big Ben was limited in a big way. While it wouldn't be shocking to see Roethlisberger play in this game, Tomlin may be quicker to go to backup Charlie Batch so close to the playoffs.

While St. Louis is solid against the pass, the club is dead last in defending the run and gives up 153.4 yards per game on the ground. Pittsburgh will likely use this to its advantage and give a healthy number of carries to Rashard Mendenhall and backup Isaac Redman.

The Rams don't score a lot of points and that often takes Jackson out of the gameplan earlier than hoped. With Clemens likely to get another start, St. Louis' defense will need to hold serve so that Jackson can still be a factor.

Pittsburgh is 6-1 at home this season and averages 24.7 points and 11.4 points allowed at Heinz Field, significantly better than its overall average of 20.4 points and 15.6 points allowed.

Rams RB Steven Jackson needs 34 rushing yards to reach 1,000 for the seventh consecutive season, the longest streak in team history.

Pittsburgh WR Hines Ward needs nine catches to become the eighth player in NFL history with 1,000 receptions.

The total has gone OVER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 5 games when playing St. Louis
Pittsburgh is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against St. Louis
Pittsburgh is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
St. Louis is 1-8 SU in its last 9 games on the road
St. Louis is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
St. Louis is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games

What would normally be a colossal mismatch on paper gets a little more cloudier due to the respective quarterback injuries. The Rams could have emerged as a trendy upset pick thanks to Roethlisberger's injury, but a Clemens-led club doesn't sound like one poised to put up a lot of points. This could in fact turn into a very ugly game, but it is still one that Pittsburgh should win to keep its division title hopes alive. Pittsburgh should come out on top but by no more than a TD.

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NFL Football Pick: Take points and Rams.

 

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a.j. feeley - ben roethlisberger - charlie batch - cincinnati bengals - cleveland browns - colt mccoy - hines ward - james harrison - kellen clemens - mike tomlin

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