STEELERS 101

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off three disappointing losses against the San Diego Chargers, Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals. In all three games, the team had their chances to prevail; instead, they faltered under the pressure, and now face a must-win situation against the Cleveland Browns, if they want to reach the .500 mark for the season.

The Steelers have failed to get their rushing attack in gear this past thee weeks, although they did start to right the ship against the Bengals. Rashard Mendenhall returned to action last week and performed well. This week, Mendenhall, Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman must be utilized in this game plan.

Ben Roethlisberger continues to struggle rebounding from his injured shoulder and ribs, and a balanced attack could go a long way at pulling out a victory Sunday afternoon. He could also use a decent week from his wide receiving corps, although they will be without two key players in wide receiver Mike Wallace (Hamstring) and tight end Heath Miller (ACL). In their place, expect rookie tight end David Paulson and wide receiver Plaxico Burress to play extended roles.

The patchwork offensive line struggled against the Bengals and looks to improve with a third week together. Rookie David DeCastro, struggled at right guard against the Bengals and will look to rebound against the Browns. Ramon Foster has played well at left guard in place of Willie Colon. Regardless of the outcome of the season, the offensive line looks to be solid for seasons to come.

Defensively, the Steelers again played above the line. Defensive backs Keenan Lewis and Cortez Allen played well against a solid Bengals wide receiving corps. Lawrence Timmons also played extremely well as the team held the Bengals offense in check all afternoon.

Going into Sunday, wide receiver Mike Wallace, cornerback Curtis Brown, linebacker Marshall McFaddon and offensive tackle Mike Adams has been downgraded to out and will be inactive.

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Tags: Curtis Brown, David Paulson, Football, Marshall McFaddon, Mike Adams, Mike Wallace, NFL, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Steelers, Plaxico Burress

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