Steelers vs. Panthers: A Complete Guide to Sunday Night Football Week 3

It's time for the battle of the big boys.

In Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers, the last Sunday matchup of Week 3 features a pair of quarterbacks who each check in at 6'5" and at least 240 pounds.

They're fullbacks playing quarterback.

Roethlisberger is the grizzled veteran, a two-time Super Bowl champion. Newton is the young gun, still searching for his first postseason victory.

It promises to be a physical, hard-hitting affair, with no shortage of storylines inside the game itself.

Here's everything you need to know before Sunday night's showdown in Charlotte.

What, Where, When: The Particulars

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

What: Sunday Night Football Week 3

Who: Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) at Carolina Panthers (2-0)

Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

When: 8:30 p.m. EDT

TV Coverage: NBC

Line (per OddsShark): Panthers (-3)

The Carolina Panthers will be trying to reverse a historical trend when they meet the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night.

The Panthers downed the Steelers the first time these teams met back in 1996, but since then it's been all Steelers, with Pittsburgh taking four games in a row.

That includes two games with Roethlisberger (in 2006 and 2010) in which the Steelers pounded the Panthers by a combined score of 64-6.

If there's a catchphrase heading into this game, it's "takeaways." As in the Panthers excel at them, while the Steelers can't force one to save their lives.

Through two games this year, Carolina leads the league with six takeaways. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, has yet to force a turnover in 2014 and ranks 31st in the NFL in turnover differential.

In fact, the Steelers have only 13 takeaways on the road dating back to the beginning of the 2013 season.

Scott Brown of ESPN believes that needs to change for Pittsburgh to pick up the win:

"

The Steelers have to take care of the football against an opportunistic Panthers defense, and they have to start taking the ball away. It has been an issue the past three-plus seasons; the Steelers haven't won a playoff game since 2010 in large part because they have consistently lost the turnover battle.

"

Toss in the fact that a Pittsburgh team that for years was known for its defense currently ranks a dismal 30th against the run, and the vaunted "Steel Curtain" looks more like chiffon right now.

Injury Report

DON WRIGHT/Associated Press

Compared to most teams across the NFL the Pittsburgh Steelers are pretty healthy heading into Week 3.

However, it appears the team will be without a youngster the Steelers hope will develop into a sort of "Swiss Army knife" on offense.

As Scott Brown of ESPN reports, running back Dri Archer is unlikely to play against the Panthers after being listed as doubtful with an ankle injury.

The Steelers may also be without starting guard Ramon Foster, who is listed as questionable after being limited in practice all week with an ankle injury of his own.

There's also some good news, however. Veteran wide receiver Lance Moore, signed in free agency to replace the departed Jerricho Cotchery, will likely make his Steelers debut after missing the season's first two games with a groin injury.

Moore told Brown he's anxious to get out on the field:

"

The mental part of the injury I think is gone now. Every morning I wake up and feel normal again. I don’t have any pain or soreness. I’m definitely looking forward to getting out there on Sunday.

"

The Panthers' biggest injury issues in Week 3 also lie on the offensive side of the ball.

It looks like rookie Kelvin Benjamin will be good to go after being listed as probable on Friday, but Cotchery missed practice Friday and is questionable with a hamstring.

Well, actually he has two, but one is the problem.

Running back DeAngelo Williams, who missed last week's win over Detroit with a thigh injury, returned to practice Friday, and according to David Newton of ESPN the Panthers' all-time leading rusher is expected to be good to go Sunday night.

The Stakes

Gene Puskar/Associated Press

For the Pittsburgh Steelers, the stakes in this game could depend quite a bit on what happens in the games earlier in the day.

With that said, it's not exactly a stretch to envision the Cincinnati Bengals (who have looked about as good as any team in the league through two games) downing the Tennessee Titans in the Queen City.

And that puts more than a little pressure on the Steelers Sunday night.

It was a slow start that doomed the Steelers in 2013. Lose to Carolina, and they suddenly find themselves two games back in the division, although a pair of very winnable games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars are next up on the slate.

There's pressure of a different sort on the Panthers.

Sunday night's game against Pittsburgh is the start of a murderous eight-game stretch on the schedule. Over that span, the Panthers play five teams that made the playoffs last year, including a home tilt with the defending Super Bowl champs and road trips to Green Bay, Philadelphia and Cincinnati.

The other three opponents (the Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears) all narrowly missed the playoffs themselves last year.

In a stretch that daunting, it's absolutely imperative the Panthers "hold serve" and win the games they host.

The Coaches

Don Wright/Associated Press

Despite the fact that Mike Tomlin is 30 games over .500 over his seven seasons as head coach of the Steelers, with two trips to the Super Bowl (including a win over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII), the seat under him is more than a bit toasty.

With the Steelers failing to make the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, there's been growing pressure from many fans to show Tomlin the door. There's even a Facebook page dedicated to bringing about his demise.

In the opinion of Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, those fans are way off base:

"

Tomlin is one of the elite coaches in the NFL and will be for a long time.

The Rooneys get it. They know what they have in Tomlin, who has a contract through the 2016 season. That’s why there is very little chance, if any, that Tomlin will be fired even if the Steelers miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season. The Rooneys won’t be happy, but they know, even if many of their team’s fans don’t, that every season doesn’t end in the Super Bowl. Cowher’s teams failed to make the playoffs three years in a row from 1998-2000 and management gave him an extension. The Steelers missed the postseason five times in Cowher’s final nine seasons.

"

Carolina Panthers head man Ron Rivera can empathize, because at this time last year, it looked like he was done.

Coming off a dismal 13-19 stretch over his first two seasons in Carolina, and with the Panthers sitting at 1-3 to open last year, the calls for Rivera's firing were coming from all sides. Fans blasted Rivera for being too conservative.

Then, something amazing happened. Perhaps because he figured he had nothing to lose, Rivera completely flipped the script. The Panthers became the most aggressive team in the league. If conventional wisdom called for a punt, he went for it. If conventional wisdom called for a field-goal attempt, he went for it.

"Riverboat Ron" was born, the players rallied around him, and the Panthers won 11 of their last 12 games, capturing the NFC South in the process. Rivera was named Coach of the Year.

Rivera himself has even embraced his new persona, as evidenced by the Twitter handle he adopted in September.

@RiverboatRonHC.

When the Steelers Have the Ball

Gene Puskar/Associated Press

For the first two quarters of the 2014 season, it appeared the Pittsburgh Steelers offense was set to take a big leap forward. The team moved the ball at will on the Cleveland Browns, racing to a 27-3 halftime lead.

They haven't scored a touchdown since.

As Bleacher Report AFC North Lead Writer Andrea Hangst recently pointed out, the Steelers' offensive struggles stem from a passing game that has been wildly inconsistent:

"

In Week 1, a last-second home win over the Cleveland Browns, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger played a mostly sharp game. He completed 23 of 34 pass attempts—67.6 percent—for 365 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

He averaged 10.74 yards per pass attempt, and receivers Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton and running back Le'Veon Bell all had over 85 receiving yards apiece. As a result, the Steelers scored touchdowns on three of their five red-zone appearances.

However, Roethlisberger struggled in his second outing, a 26-6 road loss to the Baltimore Ravens. His completion percentage dropped to 59.5 percent, and he completed 22 of his 37 pass attempts for 217 yards, no scores and an interception. His yards per attempt dipped to 5.87, and the Steelers did not score a touchdown on their two red-zone appearances.

"

Given that up-and-down passing attack, it would seem to behoove the Steelers to turn back the clock and get back in touch with the ground game that was the team's identity for so many years.

Simply put, second-year running back Le'Veon Bell has looked fantastic to this point in 2014. Slimmed down and looking exponentially more explosive than he did as a rookie, Bell ranks fifth in the NFL with 168 yards on the ground. He's averaging a robust 5.3 yards per carry.

However, regardless of how the Steelers try to move the ball Sunday night, it isn't going to be easy.

Over their last 14 regular season home games, the Panthers are 13-1. As Scott Brown of ESPN reports, since October of last year the Panthers lead the NFL in both turnover differential and points allowed.

The Panthers shut down a prolific Detroit offense a week ago in Charlotte, a performance that left Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger impressed:

"

It’s not like they put two or three guys on Calvin (Johnson). They basically just said, 'We are going to line up and if you can beat us, then beat us. If not, we are going to beat you.’ They are one of the best defenses, statistically speaking, and it’s not like it’s an exotic type of defense. They just flat-out beat you.

"

Even without Hardy, the Panthers front seven is loaded with talent, including 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly. If the Steelers are going to win Sunday night, the team is going to have to do a much better job of protecting Roethlisberger than in last week's loss at Baltimore.

When the Panthers Have the Ball

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

There was a great deal of discussion about the Carolina passing game in the offseason. The concerns appeared justified, given that the team's top four wide receivers from 2013 were no longer in town.

Add in the retirement of left tackle Jordan Gross, and there were more than a few questions swirling around the Panthers offense.

It's a bit hard to judge the team's Week 1 performance with Derek Anderson at the helm, but it was good enough to get the win. However, in last week's victory over Detroit, the team certainly appeared to have too much trouble moving the ball, especially through the air.

That's in large part due to the strong play of rookie wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin and tight end Greg Olsen.

Benjamin has acclimated to the National Football League much more quickly than many expected, emerging as a viable vertical threat for quarterback Cam Newton. With Olsen providing the underneath target for Newton, the Panthers may not be the New Orleans Saints, but they aren't the Tampa Bay Buccaneers either.

With that said, Benjamin also had a couple of drops against Detroit, and the youngster acknowledged to David Newton of ESPN that looking the ball in and blocking are areas where he's still working on his game:

"

I knew they were going to have a lot of double coverage on me, so my main focus was just playing fast with plays to open it up for [other] guys and just blocking downfield for my running backs. I just tried to play real physical on the running.

"

Surprisingly, if there's a concern with the Panthers offensively, it appears to be in the running game.

Granted, some of it is attributable to injuries to Newton and DeAngelo Williams, but through two games the Panthers rank 25th in the NFL in rushing, at 87.5 yards per game.

For a team that's predicated on a power run game, that number needs to improve, although a Steelers defense that's been gashed for 348 yards on the ground in the past two weeks could be just what the doctor ordered in that regard.

Key 1-on-1 Matchups

Don Wright/Associated Press

Panthers CB Antoine Cason vs. Steelers WR Antonio Brown

Entering the 2014 season, Carolina cornerback Antoine Cason was considered a first-round bust, a player who had washed out during his stint with the San Diego Chargers.

Ron Rivera, who was the defensive coordinator in San Diego when Cason was drafted 27th overall in 2008, didn't mince words when speaking with ESPN's David Newton. "Quite honestly, I had to bench him,'' Rivera said.

Now, however, Cason looks like an entirely different player. Through two games, he has tallied 19 tackles, intercepted a pass and forced a pair of fumbles. Rivera told Newton he now sees the player the Bolts thought they were getting five seasons ago:

"

When I watched tape on him from the [Tampa] game I saw things I really liked and remembered. Just the way he was playing with vision, the position he put himself in on a couple of his snaps.''

"

After facing Detroit's Calvin Johnson a week ago, Cason will be in for another stiff test this week against Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown, who was the fourth-most targeted wideout in the NFL a year ago.

Steelers ILB Ryan Shazier vs. Panthers TE Greg Olsen

Two games into the 2014 season, only Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints has been thrown at more than Greg Olsen of the Panthers, who has been targeted 19 times.

The Steelers will no doubt use a number of different coverages in an effort to contain Olsen, but it's a safe bet that rookie linebacker Ryan Shazier will find himself in locked up with Olsen on more than a few occasions.

The Steelers drafted Shazier in the first round in May in part because of his speed and ability in coverage, but the former Ohio State star admitted to The Associated Press (via Yahoo Sports) that in addition to its struggles against the run, Pittsburgh has been allowing pass-catchers far too much freedom to roam after the catch:

"

Guys just aren't making the tackles we need to make. A lot of times we get the guy stood up but don't get him to the ground. There is a lot of yards after contact. We've just got to do the job.

"

If they don't do the job, it's going to be a long night in Charlotte.

Panthers DE Charles Johnson vs. Steelers RT Marcus Gilbert

Much of the Pittsburgh Steelers' issues on offense in last week's loss to the Ravens can be traced to a line that had all kinds of problems keeping quarterback Ben Roethlisberger upright.

Granted, Roethlisberger has always been a quarterback who takes a lot of sacks, and many are self-inflicted as he tries to extend plays. Since 2004, he is the most-sacked signal-caller in the NFL by a staggering margin.

Still, the Steelers need to do a better job of giving Big Ben time to survey the field, no small feat against a Carolina Panthers squad that led the league in sacks in 2013.

Yes, Greg Hardy is gone, but the Panthers still have a Pro Bowl-caliber defensive end on the field in Charles Johnson.

Johnson, who has three seasons with double-digit sacks on his professional resume, will square off against Pittsburgh offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert.

It's a battle that would appear to favor Johnson. Through two games, Gilbert has already allowed four sacks. No player in the NFL has allowed more.

The X-Factors

Associated Press

Steelers C Cody Wallace

With Ramon Foster a 50-50 bet at best to play Sunday night, it's very possible that Cody Wallace will be called upon to fill in at guard.

The seventh-year journeyman made four starts for the Steelers at center last year, and Pittsburgh saw enough to ink Wallace to a three-year extension in March.

As Wallace told ESPN's Scott Brown, for a player with more stops in the NFL (eight) than seasons (seven), the stability that deal provided was a dream come true:

"

It gave me an opportunity to show what I could do for an extended period of time and give them the confidence that they can trust [me] for a game instead of just, 'Oh get us through the half.' I think the coaches have a good feeling about me as a backup interior guy if they need to plug me in.

"

We'll see if those good feelings continue after Wallace squares off with the Panthers' deep and talented stable of defensive tackles.

Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart

As I mentioned earlier, the Carolina Panthers have had nearly as much trouble running the ball in 2014 as the Steelers have had stopping the run.

DeAngelo Williams is expected to return for Carolina Sunday night, but in all honesty even when healthy Williams is a plodder at this point in his career.

If the Panthers are going to pick up yardage in chunks on the ground in Week 3, their best bet likely lies with running back Jonathan Stewart. 

It's an odd statement. Even odder is the fact that right now, Stewart is by far the healthiest of Carolina's running backs. Since topping 1,100 yards on the ground back in 2009, he has had all sorts of problems staying healthy. The 27-year-old missed 10 games in 2013, gaining a career-low 180 yards on the ground.

However, so far this year Stewart has stayed healthy, and this week's matchup would appear to set the table for the veteran back's best game in years.

Steelers FS Mike Mitchell

After resurrecting his lagging NFL career with the Panthers in 2013 (much like Jerricho Cotchery did in Pittsburgh), Mitchell signed a free-agent deal with the Steelers as the replacement for the departed Ryan Clark.

Mitchell has been relatively quiet for the Steelers so far, but his big hit on former teammate Steve Smith in last week's loss to the Ravens drew the praise of another former teammate, Greg Olsen, according to Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer:

"

That's him. He's an aggressive player. I don't think he's a dirty player. I think he's a good, hard-nosed, physical safety. Kind of toes that line, but he makes his presence felt and that's what makes him a good player. He's a really talented guy. You've got to know where he's at. He was a big part of our defense last year. Unfortunately he moved on and found himself in a place that kind of fits his mold.

"

Given the Steelers troubles getting takeaways of late, a big play from Mitchell would be a huge boost for the Steelers Sunday night.

The fact that it would come against his former team is just icing on the cake.

Prediction

Gene Puskar/Associated Press

The Pittsburgh Steelers just aren't the team they used to be.

The days of the "Blitzburgh" defense that flat-out intimidated opponents and of the punishing ground game that would grind their enemies into dust, are gone (at least for now).

As hard as it may be for Pittsburgh fans to reconcile, their beloved blue-collar Steelers are a finesse team.

And that just doesn't bode well heading into this matchup.

The Panthers love to run the ball, and the Steelers can't stop the run.

The Panthers (even without Hardy) are among the league's best teams at harassing opposing quarterbacks, and the Steelers have had issues protecting Big Ben. The Panthers thrive at creating turnovers. The Steelers can't buy one. (Mike Tomlin tried, but it turns out Diners Club isn't accepted on the playing field.) 

Throw in the Panthers' recent dominance at home, and there are just too many factors working against the Steelers in this one.

The Panthers cruise, and Mike Tomlin's rear end warms up a little more.

Panthers 23, Steelers 13