Help beat the Jaguars in the Click for Cans contest

Chunky Soup's Click for Cans contest is back this season, albeit with a different format than years past. This season NFL teams "play" each other head-to-head each week, with the matchups corresponding to those on the NFL schedule. The team that receives the most votes in the contest gets the win. Steelers' fans, this is your opportunity to get out the vote. Click here to vote for the Steelers over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Entering this week the Steelers are 4-0 in the standings; the Jaguars are 2-2.

Steelers escape with 23-20 (OT) win over Ravens

After being badly outplayed for most of the game, the Steelers managed a three-point overtime win over the Ravens by scoring two touchdowns in a span of 15 seconds in the third quarter. But the win came at great cost, as several players suffered season-ending injuries, namely backup running back Rashard Mendenhall (shoulder) and starting right guard Kendall Simmons (achilles). Meanwhile, backup linebacker Andre Frazier suffered a spinal injury on the opening kickoff.

In terms of predicitons, "What are the Chances...?" is now 3-1 on the season and 29-8 all-time.

Ravens: What are the Chances…?

As was the case with the Eagles, this is a very worrisome matchup for the Steelers. After an injury-riddled 2007, the Ravens (2-0) again possess a fearsome defense — number one in the NFL, in fact — and figure to utilize the same kind of aggressive pass rushing scheme that the Eagles used to exploit the Steelers’ vulnerabilities in terms of pass protection. Theoretically, there should be opportunities for Pittsburgh in the passing game because the Ravens can be expected to blitz on virtually every down, but Ben Roethlisberger probably won’t have much time to exploit these opportunities. And, with Ravens’ defenders crowding the line of scrimmage, Pittsburgh probably won’t have much success running the ball, either. To make matters worse, Steelers’ rookie tailback Rashard Mendenhall strikes us as a mistake waiting to happen, and the Ravens will be looking to strip the ball on virtually every carry. Down the road, Mendenhall may very well prove to be an exceptional feature back, but he has shown no indication of being ready to carry the load in a prime-time matchup against a team like the Ravens. Keeping the sacks and fumbles to a minimum will be the key to winning this game.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh suddenly has significant issues on defense. The Ravens are running the ball very, very effectively this season, and the Steelers could have problems defending the run with both NT Casey Hampton and starting DE Brett Keisel out with injuries, thereby exposing the team’s lack of depth on the defensive line. Young quarterbacks — in this case, rookie Joe Flacco — usually struggle mightily when facing the Steelers’ complicated defense for the first time, but if Baltimore runs the ball effectively and the Steelers’ offense can’t get out of its own way, the Ravens may not need much from Flacco to escape Pittsburgh with a win.

In recent years, Baltimore-Pittsburgh matchups have been decidedly one-sided affairs, with one team thrashing the other. But this game is likely to be a close, low-scoring game. While the Steelers are almost always successful at home on Monday Night Football (MNF), this could be the night the 13-game MNF home winning streak gets broken. We understand that the Steelers are five-and-a-half point favorites, but that seems optimistic. The way we see it, the Steelers win only if Flacco implodes, a distinct possibility considering that this will be his first road game. Bottom line? We give the Steelers just a 45 percent chance of winning this game; thus, the pick, unfortunately, is the Ravens.

Prediction-wise The Steelyard is 3-0 on the season and 29-7 all-time.

Rooney: "Biden plays for our team"

During a recent campaign stop in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Steelers' owner Dan Rooney introduced the democratic vice presidential candidate, giving him the black-and-gold stamp of approval by saying, "Joe Biden plays for our team."

Joe Biden, a Scranton, Pennsylvania native, took the stage and briefly lost his composure as he recounted his family's emotional connection with the Steelers' organization. In December 1972, former Steelers' running back Rocky Bleier visited his two young sons in the hospital and presented them with autographed footballs following the fatal crash that killed Biden's wife and daughter. Click here to see Biden tell his story (courtesy of WTAE/Pittsburgh).

"They looked like they had lighted up like Christmas trees," recalled Biden. "My one little boy was in traction and the other little boy had a seriously fractured skull and they were happy, and they each had ... footballs in their beds." Biden briefly lost his composure remembering the scene. Wiping away a tear he continued, "I said, 'Guys, where'd you get the ball?' and they said, 'Daddy, Rocky Bleier gave it to us.'"

Bleir had been sent to the hospital by Steelers' founder Art Rooney Sr. — Dan Rooney's father — as Biden recalls, "without any fanfare, without any announcement, without anything other than his incredible decency." Once again he broke down and said, "I really apologize, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have tried to do this," he said. Referring the the Rooney family he said, "It's a helluva family, it's a helluva family, the greatest family in football and you're lucky to have them."

Help beat the Ravens (in Chunky's Click for Cans contest)

Chunky Soup's Click for Cans contest is back this season, albeit with a different format than years past. This season NFL teams "play" each other head-to-head each week, with the matchups corresponding to those on the NFL schedule. And the team that receives the most votes in the contest gets the win. Steelers' fans, this is your opportunity to get out the vote. Click here to vote for the Steelers over the Ravens.

Entering this week the Steelers are 3-0 in the Click for Cans standings; the Ravens are 1-2.

Eagles: In review

After correctly predicting an Eagles' victory, "What are the Chances...?" is now 3-0 on the year and 29-7 all-time in terms of predicting the outcome of Steelers' games.

A few notes in the wake of Sunday's loss: Mike Tomlin was wrong not to kick a field goal on 4th and 10 from the Eagles' 22 with less than a minute to go. It almost certainly wouldn't have changed the outcome, but game management decisions like these (and Tomlin's inability to see the error of his ways) should be a concern for Steelers' fans.

Second, it's not necessarily true that the Steelers need a strong running game to pass the ball effectively. In recent years, Pittsburgh has frequently utilized a pass-first/pass-oriented approach, often with spectacular results. What is necessary for the Steelers' offense to be successful is half-decent pass protection for Ben Roethlisberger. Last year, the Steelers' ratio of sacks to pass attempts was 11.6 percent. This year it's an eye-popping 20.3 percent, putting Pittsburgh on pace to allow 64 sacks. There isn't an NFL offense or quarterback that is going to be consistently successful allowing sacks at that rate.

While the O-line is the team's greatest concern, Pittsburgh may also struggle to stop the run in coming weeks if NT Casey Hampton is out of the lineup for any length of time. Pittsburgh probably doesn't have enough depth on its D-line to play without two of its three starters for an extended period time.

Unfortunately, the Ravens have a strong running game and the potential to utilize the kind of blitz-happy pass rushing schemes that could present major problems for the Steelers on Monday night.

Eagles: What are the Chances...?

This week’s matchup is a toss-up. Both teams have top quarterbacks (Ben Roethlisberger is #1 in the NFL in passer rating with a 133.9 rating and Donovan McNabb is sixth in that category) and both possess elite defenses (led by two of the top defensive coordinators in the NFL, Dick LeBeau and Jim Johnson). Since running the ball figures to be a challenge for both teams, the game figures to be won by the team that makes more plays in the passing game. As always, pass protection will be a concern for the Steelers, but if Big Ben has time to throw the ball downfield, Santonio Holmes could exploit the Eagles’ secondary in the deep passing game.

Big Ben is 1-0 against the Eagles in his career, a 27-3 win at Heinz Field during his rookie year, when he completed 11 of 18 passes for 183 yards, throwing 2 TDs and 1 INT (109.3 passer rating). But Pittsburgh hasn’t won a game in Philadelphia since, well, it was long before the Steelers drafted Terry Bradshaw.

One advantage the Steelers have is an extra day to rest and prepare, as the Eagles played at Dallas (a 41-37 loss) this past Monday night. A little-noticed disadvantage is that Philadelphia signed former Steelers’ wide receiver Willie Reid to its practice squad back in August, perhaps in anticipation of this game. One can't imagine Reid actually playing in the game, but without a doubt he's been huddling with the Eagles' defensive coaches all week long, providing insight into the Steelers' offensive tendencies.

In the final analysis, we see the Steelers as having close to a 50 percent chance of winning, and would probably pick Pittsburgh if the game was at Heinz Field. But since it’s not, we’re predicting an Eagles victory. “What are the Chances…?” is 2-0 thus far in 2008 and 28-7 all-time.

P.S. We’re still waiting for Rashard Mendenhall to do something that leads directly to a Steelers’ loss. It’s going to happen sometime this season; it’s just a matter of when.

Help beat the Eagles (in the Click for Cans contest)

Chunky Soup's Click for Cans contest is back this season, albeit with a different format than years past. This season NFL teams "play" each other head-to-head each week, with the matchups corresponding to those on the NFL schedule. And the team that receives the most votes in the contest gets the win. Steelers' fans, this is your opportunity to get out the vote. Click here to vote for the Steelers over the Eagles.

Entering this week the Steelers are 2-0; the Eagles are 1-1.

Steelers 10, Browns 6

It wasn't pretty but Ben Roethlisberger made big plays when the Steelers needed them most and Pittsburgh eked out a 10-6 win over the Browns. Prediction-wise "What are the Chances...?" is now 2-0 on the season and 28-7 all-time.

Browns: What are the Chances...?

Back in early 2004, as the NFL draft approached, the Browns made a fateful decision to acquire Trent Dilfer, signing the veteran QB to a four-year contract. The move essentially precluded Cleveland from selecting Ben Roethlisberger, who was still available with the sixth pick in that year's draft. (Instead, the Browns chose a tight end, Kellen Winslow Jr., a good player but not a franchise-changing performer.) Cleveland has been paying for that mistake ever since, as Roethlisberger has posted a 40-16 regular season record over four-plus seasons and is 7-0 against the Browns (including 4-0 at Cleveland Browns Stadium).

Tomorrow the Browns will try to contain Roethlisberger once more, and unless Cleveland generates a fierce pash rush, its shaky defensive backfield figures to be exposed by Big Ben. But the key to the game for the Steelers will be to keep both Braylon Edwards (WR) and Joshua Cribbs (KR) from making big plays. Without "splash" plays from those two players it seems unlikely that the Browns will be able to keep pace with Pittsburgh's balanced attack.

The Steelyard predicts a win for the Steelers, giving Pittsburgh a 65 percent chance of winning this game. "What are the Chances...?" is 1-0 this season and 27-7 all-time.

Help beat the Browns (in Click for Cans)

Campbell's Chunky Soup's Click for Cans contest is back this season, albeit with a different format than years past. This season NFL teams "play" each other head-to-head each week, with the matchups corresponding to those on the NFL schedule. And the team that receives the most votes in the contest gets the win. Steelers' fans, this is your opportunity to get out the vote. Click here to vote for the Steelers over the Browns.

Steelers 38, Texans 17

Well, the Steelers played better than "What are the Chances...?" expected today, with the only problem area being with the offensive line's pass protection. Nevertheless, we did predict a victory, giving "What..." a 1-0 record this year, and a 27-7 mark over two-plus seasons.

Texans: What are the Chances...?

Today marks the return of our "What are the Chances...?" segment, in which The Steelyard assesses the chances of the Steelers winning their upcoming game. Last year, "What ..." finished 13-4 and is 26-7 over the last two years, including last season's playoff game versus Jacksonville.

Generally speaking, Pittsburgh fans seem quite confident about beating the Texans, perhaps too confident. Houston is a much better team than people think, and the Texans' strengths (defensive line, for example) correspond to the Steelers' weaknesses (offensive line, for one).

Having said that, here are the most likely problems to emerge versus Houston: 1) The Steelers' pass protection consistently breaks down, leading to an assortment of drive-killing plays. 2) The Steelers give up big plays in the return game and/or make game changing mistakes in their own return game (see next item). 3) Rashard Mendenhall fumbles the game away, either on return(s) or out of the backfield. Back on July 22, The Steelyard addressed the potential for Mendenhall to have fumbling problems coming into the NFL, and unfortunately, our fears have been realized. Contrary to recent public pronouncements, Mike Tomlin and the other Steelers' coaches haven't forgotten about Mendenhall's fumbling issues, and you can be sure that the Texans know about Rashard's woes and will be looking to strip the ball on every touch he receives.

Our sense is that it will be a relatively low-scoring game and that the Steelers will do enough to win (let's give Pittsburgh a 55 percent chance of victory), but really, it wouldn't shock us one bit if the Texans came away with an upset. Last season, Ben Roethlisberger did an unbelievable job of covering up the play of his leaky offensive line, leading a team with, say, 6-10 talent to a 10-6 record. Big Ben may need more of that same magic this year, and in tomorrow's game in particular, if the Steelers hope to be successful.

Steelers trade Mahan to Tampa Bay

Surprisingly, the Steelers found a team willing to take Sean Mahan and his $2 million-plus salary off their hands--the Tampa Bay Bucs--who acquired the oft-criticized center for a 7th-round choice in the 2009 draft. Ridding themselves of Mahan's contract is key, and getting a draft pick in return feels like a bonus.

Steelers could finish first, second, third or fourth in AFC North, per PFW editors

Today Pro Football Weekly's editors announced their predictions for the 2008 season. Two editors predict the Steelers will finish first, four believe Pittsburgh will come in second behind Cleveland, three see a third-place finish and one believes the Steelers will close out the year in last place, citing the "NFL’s toughest schedule, [a] declining O-line, [and] soft backfield," all contributing to Mike Tomlin's "sophomore slump."

Personally, I find the predictions of publisher/editor Hub Arkush most likely to come true: He predicts a second-place finish for the Steelers, characterizing Pittsburgh as a "club headed in wrong direction," which is probably true, unless one is willing to overlook the shortcomings of the offensive line, a lack of depth on defense and major questions surrounding the team's return game. He envisions the Browns winning the division, with Brady Quinn taking over at quarterback sooner rather than later, which also seems a good bet, as Derek Anderson doesn't appear to be a long-term solution at the QB position.

Click here to view all of PFW's predictions. Your comments are welcome, as always.