Carolina Panthers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Keys To Maintain AFC North Lead

The Pittsburgh Steelers can win their division and earn the second seed in the AFC if they win their remaining two games beginning with the Carolina Panthers on Thursday night.

Carolina has been one of the worst teams in football this season and is currently in position to select first in the draft where they could pick potential franchise quarterback Andrew Luck.

Jimmy Clausen would not welcome Luck as it would mean that he was no longer the starter. He will have his work cut out for him if he wants to raise the Panthers in the standings over the last two weeks.

Traditionally, rookie quarterbacks do not fare well playing against the Steelers. Clausen has not had a particularly good season as it is and will now have to face one of the league’s best defenses on the road. Did I mention his opponent is also fighting for a first round bye?

Coming off of a seven-point win over the Arizona Cardinals, the Panthers are not going to lay down to the Steelers. Pittsburgh will have to be on top of its game Thursday night.

With a win and a Ravens loss the Steelers would clinch the AFC North, but what happens in Baltimore is out of their control. If the Steelers want to earn the first round bye they must control their own destiny and they can take one more step towards their goal by defeating Carolina.

Run Hard With Rashard

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PITTSBURGH - DECEMBER 19: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers hands off to Rashard Mendenhall #34 during their game agasint the New York Jets at Heinz Field on December 19, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Image

Pittsburgh’s offensive line may have had its best game of the season, plowing the way for Rashard Mendenhall to rush for 100 yards against a stingy New York defense. Though the improved ground attack did not result in a win, it was a positive sign that the Steelers can sustain a balanced attack offensively heading into the playoffs.

A continued effort to run the ball should be one of the focal points of Pittsburgh’s offense as they match up against the NFL’s 26^th ranked rush defense as Carolina yields 126.2 yards per game.

The subfreezing temperatures last week seemed to wake up Pittsburgh’s offensive line. They fired off the line and opened big holes for Mendenhall, who accelerated through them without dancing in the backfield for the first time in weeks.

It is no coincidence that it was the Steelers best offensive performance in three weeks and yet it was not enough to earn the victory.

Carolina completely shut down Arizona’s ground game last week, yielding only 43 yards for the game, and is coming off its longest winning streak of the season, one game.

Mendenhall will be the key for the Steelers to have long drives to keep the Panthers’ offense off the field. More importantly is running the ball effectively in the red zone to set up touchdowns, not field goals.

A solid run game where the Steelers can impose their will on Carolina will demoralize one of the league’s worst teams and should keep them winless on the road.

Stimey Jimmy

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SEATTLE - DECEMBER 05: Quarterback Jimmy Clausen #2 of the Carolina Panthers passes during warmups prior to the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Field on December 5, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. The Seahawks won, 31-14. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr

Earlier this season Pittsburgh got a chance to welcome the Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback, Colt McCoy, to the NFL and were overall disappointed with the results, allowing him to throw for 281 yards and a touchdown.

The Steelers defense will hope to make Jimmy Clausen’s first game in Pittsburgh a little bit more difficult than McCoy’s.

Clausen has struggled most of the season, throwing just his second touchdown pass last week against Arizona. It was also the first time all season that he completed over 60 percent of his passes.

James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley will be ready to make life miserable for Clausen. He has been sacked 26 times this season and both of Pittsburgh’s linebackers will be playing with a chip on their shoulder after failing to sack Mark Sanchez last week.

Pressure from the edge could set up plays in the secondary as Clausen has thrown seven interceptions on the season, including three in the past four weeks. But it is imperative that the Steelers pressure him.

Pittsburgh’s defense has been susceptible to even average quarterbacks, such as Sanchez last week, when they fail to get pressure. Without Polamalu in the secondary, life gets even easier for opposing quarterbacks.

If Clausen has to face the “Blitzburgh” Steelers on Thursday he will not stand a chance.

Stop Stewart

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BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 05: Brett Keisel #99 of the Pittsburgh Steelers stands on the field against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

After a lackluster start to 2010 season, Jonathan Stewart has come on in a big way over the past month.

Over the first nine weeks, Stewart only rushed for 208 yards while he has 460 yards in the last four games, including 133 and 137 yards in the past two.

The stingy Steelers defense allows a league low 63.4 yards per game, but showed some cracks last week when the Jets ran for 106 yards. Establishing a ground game may be one of the only chances that the Panthers have.

One thing that Pittsburgh has going for them is that Stewart’s power running style feeds right into what they like to defend. The defensive line, behind Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel, is very physical up front and the linebackers can fly to the ball carrier.

Shutting down Stewart will also mean that Carolina cannot maintain possession of the ball, keeping it out of Mendenhall and Ben Roethlisberger’s hands. That would leave their only chance at victory to special teams and turnovers.

Spotlight Player: Offense

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BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 05: Chris Kemoeatu #68, Maurkice Pouncey #53, Ramon Foster #73 and Flozell Adams #71 of the Pittsburgh Steelers look on during the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 5, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland.

For the second straight week the Steelers will look to control the line of scrimmage with their offensive line.

The line was a key last week in establishing the ground game and offering Roethlisberger plenty of protection. They will look to build upon that performance as the offense tries to get back on track Thursday evening.

Lead by Maurkice Pouncey, a dominating performance by the offensive line could mean that the Steelers will light up the scoreboard and win big.

Spotlight Player: Defense

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PITTSBURGH - NOVEMBER 21: James Harrison #92 of the Pittsburgh Steelers pumps up the crowd during the game against the Oakland Raiders on November 21, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

James Harrison has not had a quarterback sack in three weeks. That should change when he gets to rush Clausen.

Clausen is not a quarterback who should pose much of a threat against the Steelers secondary and as a result he should expect to see Dick LeBeau’s defense apply pressure all night.

Harrison will lead the way as Pittsburgh will try to move one step closer to clinching the division and a first round bye.

Game Notes

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PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 21: James Farrior #51 of the Pittsburgh Steelers lines up before the snap during the game against the Oakland Raiders on November 21, 2010 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Thursday night marks the Steelers third home game in a row.

Ryan Mundy will make his second consecutive start for Troy Polamalu.

James Farrior has four sacks in the past five games.

Since 2003, Pittsburgh has won 22 of 27 games against NFC opponents.

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