Carolina Panthers @ Pittsburgh Steelers – December 23rd at 8:20 p.m. on NFL Network.


From The Sports Network this afternoon:

Pittsburgh had vaulted to the top of the AFC North pack on the strength of a four-game win streak highlighted by a hard-fought road victory over its chief competition for the division crown, the Baltimore Ravens, in early December.

Though Pittsburgh and Baltimore sport identical 10-4 marks heading into the regular season’s final two weeks, the Steelers do own a superior record in division play, meaning the Black and Gold would claim both the AFC North title and a much-desired opening-round bye in the upcoming conference playoffs if they can defeat the Panthers and follow up with a win at Cleveland in the finale.

The Pittsburgh offense benefits from its balance, blending the passing talents and field presence of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (2600 passing yards, 14 TD, 5 INT) with the NFL’s eighth-ranked running game (122.1 ypg) to form what can be a difficult combination to defend. Add in the field-stretching skills of speedy wide receiver Mike Wallace (53 receptions, 1048 yards, 8 TD), who’s averaging nearly 20 yards per catch and burned a well-regarded New York secondary for 102 yards on seven grabs a week ago, and it’s safe to say the Panthers may not have an easy time on their hands on Thursday.


You can read the rest of their Game Preview here.



Series history –

The Steelers hold a 3-1 edge in its all-time series with Carolina, and has won each of its last three head-to-head meetings with the Panthers. Pittsburgh took a 37-3 road decision in the most recent match-up in 2006, and were 30-14 winners when the teams last met iat Heinz Field in 2002. The Panthers’ only win in the series was an 18-14 victory in 1996.



Also:

Check out this interview/article with Ben and and some of his teammates from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ed Bochette entitled, “Roethlisberger healing in many ways”.

Quote from the article –

“Obviously, there’s been a lot of scrutiny against him this year,” Keisel said. “The best way you can counteract that is to go out and be a better man, be a better teammate, […]

You ask me about how disappointing a loss is? I think that speaks for itself, for you guys that know me. — Ben, during his post-game interview after a 22-17 loss to the Jets.

Media Notes & Quotes…


From Rotoworld:

Big Ben nearly pulled off a game-winning drive for the ages, almost going 92 yards in two minutes with no timeouts. But he came up just short as two goal-line passes were batted down to end the game. It was still an impressive showing for Roethlisberger, who actually throws better in the cold and snow.


You can read the rest here.



From the Toronto Sun:

The Jets defense bent, but didn’t break as Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers on a drive in the final 2:08 of the game.

Roethlisberger ran 22 yards for a first down and completed passes of 29 yards to Emmanuel Sanders, 18 yards to Mike Wallace and 16 yards to Antonio Brown to take the Steelers from their own 8-yard line to the New York 10.

But his throw to tight end Matt Spaeth in the left side of the end zone with zeroes on the clock wasn’t close to being completed.


You can read the rest here.



From the Altoona Mirror:

The Steelers were once again the victim of questionable officiating. First, a bogus helmet-to-helmet roughing call on Ryan Clark set up one of the Jets touchdowns. Then, a blatant pass interference committed against Emmanuel Sanders that should have set Pittsburgh up with a 1st-and-goal from the 8 with about 0:24 left, went uncalled.


You can read the rest here.



Stat Line: Ben completed 23-of-44 passes for 264 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

“Well we knew we had a long way to go. I will never blame Matt. I thought he made a great effort. He played a great game today. He made a lot of big time catches and big time plays. He did a great job stepping up especially not knowing if Heath would play or not. I will take this one on me because I need to make more plays. I would never blame those guys, it is on me and I can’t let it happen and I have to […]

“I just play to win the game. I’m not one that cares too much about numbers or putting up stats. I just want to win football games and win Championships and that’s all I try and do. I know I’m not the prettiest quarterback when I do it, but at the end of the day, a W is a W to me.” — Ben, from his interview on NFL Network during halftime of Thursday night’s game. You can watch the interview here.

Week 15 match-up – Jets vs Steelers…

From The Sporting News:

This remains one of the best games of the year because it matches two of the top three teams, record-wise, in the AFC, even though the Jets have lost two in a row to fall two games behind the Patriots in the AFC East. The Steelers have won four in a row to hold a one-game lead in the AFC North and haven’t lost to the Jets (7-0) in Pittsburgh since the 1970 merger.

Based on the production of each offense the past several games, this might not be a high-scoring game, especially with the way each team plays defense. But, despite their lack of touchdowns, the Steelers offense has actually been able to move the ball, averaging 358 yards, 21 first downs and 38 minutes time of possession in the past three games. What’s more, Roethlisberger has thrown just one interception and the offense has committed just three turnovers in the past four games. Like the Jets were doing before their two-game losing streak, the Steelers have been finding ways to win. Prediction: Pittsburgh 20, N.Y. Jets 10.


You can read the rest here.



From the North Jersey Record:

The Jets are 0-7 lifetime in Pittsburgh, including a 20-17 loss in an AFC divisional playoff game in Jan. 2005.

The Steelers are allowing only 2.9 yards per carry, so this might not be the week for the Jets to get their running game back on track. But Pittsburgh’s offense has been struggling recently, with only two touchdowns in the last three games.

Forcing turnovers by the Steelers won’t be easy, as QB Ben Roethlisberger has only five interceptions in nine games and the Steelers have lost only seven fumbles.


You can […]