In last weekend’s Wild Card games, Arizona, San Diego, Baltimore, and Philadelphia all advanced proving to the nation that they have what it takes to be successful in this league.
This weekend’s slate of games are sure to be exciting but the most intriguing match up, in my opinion, is between the San Diego Chargers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pittsburgh enters the playoffs as the second seed after finishing with a 12-4 record and Champions of the AFC North. San Diego on the other hand, faced a must win game two weeks ago against the Denver Broncos in order to get into the playoffs as the NFC West Champions. The Chargers had no problems defeating the Broncos and winning the division over Denver due to the fact that San Diego had a better conference record.
The Chargers entered the playoffs as the fourth seed after winning their respective division at a five hundred record of 8-8. This would set up another memorable match up between the fifth seed Indianapolis Colts and the fourth seed San Diego Chargers.
The Chargers would once again prove to be too much for the Colts as the Chargers won in overtime off a Darren Sproles 22-yard touchdown run making the final score 23-17. Sproles proved to be the difference maker after rushing for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
San Diego is one of the hottest teams playing as of now winning five straight games including their playoff victory. The Chargers will definitely be ready to go against the Steelers this weekend with the key match up being the Charger offense against the Steeler defense. The Chargers offense this season has scored an average of 27.4 points per game which ranks second in the league and eleventh in total yardage per game at 349.
On the other side of the ball, the Steelers defense ranks as the best in the league. Pittsburgh ranks first in points allowed per game at 13.9, yards per game at 237.2, and passing yards per game at 156.9. They also rank second in the league in rushing yards allowed per game at 80.2. If San Diego is going to win, they must be able to move the ball effectively through the air and keep their turnovers to a minimum.
The Chargers can not afford to turn the ball over since they are playing in the cold weather of Pittsburgh and points might be hard to come by.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are led by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger who has thrown for 3,301 yards at a completion percentage of 59.9 with 17 touchdowns thrown and 15 interceptions. Roethlisberger should be ready to go in this weekend’s game after suffering a concussion two weeks ago in their season finale against the Cleveland Browns. For some unknown reason, Roethlisberger was still playing quarterback halfway through the game.
There was no reason for him to still be playing due to the fact that Pittsburgh had already locked up the AFC North and they were guaranteed the second seed in the playoffs. The Steelers had nothing to gain and they risked injuring their star player for no reason at all. Luckily for the Steelers, the injury was not serious and Roethlisberger should be the starting quarterback come game time.
The Steelers running attack is led by Willie Parker who has 210 rushes on the season for 791 yards and five touchdowns. The Steelers also use Mewelde Moore in the running game, which has proven to be just as effective. Moore has accumulated 140 rushes on the season for 588 yards and five touchdowns.
On the receiving end of the ball, the Steelers are led by no other than Hines Ward who led the team in receptions with 81 for 1,043 yards and seven touchdowns. Santonio Holmes is next in line with 55 receptions for 821 yards and five touchdowns. Heath Miller, the tight end, has also played a key role in the Pittsburgh offense catching 48 passes for 514 yards and three touchdowns during the season.
But the real strength of the Pittsburgh Steelers lies in their defense and one of their big play makers in Troy Polamalu. The Steeler defense has a total of 20 interceptions and 51 sacks on the season. Troy Polamalu leads the team in interceptions with 7 while James Farrior leads the team in total tackles with 133.
James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley have combined for 28 total sacks, which is more than half of the team total for sacks. The Steelers defense has proven to be the dominate force in the NFL
We're going to send you the most entertaining San Diego Chargers articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
5 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete