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Rams knock Roethlisberger out of the game, still lose
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_d5650766-08f4-5411-ac4a-e0def6572f8f.html
Had the Rams known going in they'd hold Pittsburgh's top-rated offense to 12 points, they would've liked their chances.
"Twelve points — you expect to win those," defensive end Robert Quinn said. "But they held us to six. We've just got to do a little better."
The Rams held Pittsburgh to just 2.8 yards per carry. They knocked quarterback Ben Roethlisberger out of the game with a knee injury in the third quarter, and sacked Roethlisberger and replacement Michael Vick a combined five times.
But when all was said and done, the Rams' offense was punchless, limited to a pair of field goals in a 12-6 loss Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.
"Well, six points isn't going to win you a whole lot of games, and we're averaging eight points a game the last two weeks and that's not going to get it done for you," coach Jeff Fisher said.
The Rams had a few chances, at least enough to put up a couple of touchdowns. But a wide open tight end Lance Kendricks dropped what looked like a deep touchdown pass from Nick Foles, saying he lost the ball in the lights.
In the fourth quarter, Foles forced another deep pass to Kendricks who had gotten behind a Pittsburgh linebacker on the play. But Foles didn't account for Steelers safety Will Allen who swooped in for an interception and returned it 20 yards to the St. Louis 31, setting up a key Josh Scobee field goal for the game's final points.
On the series prior to that interception, the Rams had a first-and-goal at the Pittsburgh 7, only to settle for the second of Greg Zuerlein's two field goals. On a day when almost half of the announced crowd of 52,433 was waving Pittsburgh Terrible Towels, the Rams had to go to the silent count in the red zone because of crowd noise.
Two false starts helped thwart any chances for a touchdown on that drive.
The Rams' last gasp came with 1:05 to play when a booth review overturned what originally was ruled a first-down catch by Kenny Britt on fourth-and-5 from the St. Louis 39.
You could make the case it was maybe inconclusive and then the call on the field stands," Fisher said. "But (referee John Hussey) felt the ball was loose and that's enough."
So as was the case last week in Washington, the Rams let a winnable game slip away. At 1-2, they must now face two of the league's elite teams — Arizona and Green Bay — on the road in back-to-back weeks.
Pittsburgh improved to 2-1, but may have lost Roethlisberger for an extended period of time. X-rays showed no broken bones but he will undergo an MRI back in Pittsburgh.
The Rams took some early punches from the Pittsburgh offense, but yielded "only" a field goal and a touchdown early. The Steelers took only a 9-3 lead into the second half, and when Roethlisberger was knocked out of the game with a knee injury with 5 1/2 minutes to play in the third quarter, things got interesting.
"Oh yeah. I think the whole game, we thought we had a good shot," Rams safety Rodney McLeod said. "Got some turnovers. Made some plays in the pocket (with sacks) — things that we wanted to get done. We just came up a little short."
Safety Mark Barron got to Roethlisberger low on the pass rush, and as Roethlisberger ran forward trying to escape the pocket his left knee buckled. Enter Vick, 35, who until Sunday hadn't thrown a regular-season pass since last Nov. 24 as a New York Jet against Buffalo.
At the game's outset, the Steelers couldn't wait to roll out their top-ranked offense against the Rams this week. After winning the coin toss, they took the kickoff and starting rolling. Normally the Steelers defer and sent their defense out first.
With the Rams frequently playing both safeties deep early, and giving 10-yard cushions at cornerback, it was easy pickings for Big Ben & Co. The underneath routes were there, and the Steelers took them.
In the first quarter alone, Pittsburgh's all-world wide receiver Antonio Brown caught six passes for 71 yards.
"You've gotta respect that guy," McLeod said. "He made some plays early. We adjusted a little bit to their scheme and what they were coming out in to kinda keep him from making some explosive plays today."
Brown had a modest four catches for 37 yards the rest of the way. After piling up four pass plays of 40 yards-plus the week before against San Francisco, the Steelers' longest reception of the day Sunday went for only 20 yards — to Le'Veon Bell.
Thanks to a third-and-goal tackle of Bell by defensive tackle Michael Brockers, the Steelers had to settle for a field goal and a 3-0 lead off the opening drive.
The Steelers second drive covered 92 yards and culminated with a one-yard touchdown run by Bell, who was making his season debut after serving a two-game league suspension.
As has been their custom this season, the Steelers went for the two-point conversion. They were 3-for-3 on 2-pointers through two games, but this time Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson broke up the conversion pass intended for Darrius Heyward-Bey.
So the Steelers' lead stayed at 9-0. At that point, Pittsburgh had outgained the Rams 162 yards to 28.
The Rams did stop the third Pittsburgh possession when Janoris Jenkins intercepted an overthrown Roethlisberger pass intended for Markus Wheaton. The Rams took over on their 19, and thanks to a couple of Foles completions to Britt were able to put three points on the board via a 49-yard field goal by Zuerlein.
An Alec Ogletree sack helped thwart Pittsburgh's final drive of the half by sacking Roethlisberger. So the Steelers led 9-3 at intermission, which from a Rams perspective was a lot better than where the Steelers stood last week at intermission — leading San Francisco by 29-3 en route to a 43-18 romp.
But even once Roethlisberger was knocked out of the game, the Rams couldn't crawl any closer than a 9-6 deficit and never could reach the end zone. On a day when the Rams' defense reasserted itself, the offense proved to be a no-show for the second week in a row.
"We're 1-2," Foles said. "The world's not ending. We'll figure it out."
Maybe so, but each opportunity lost means the Rams will have to steal a game no one expects them to win somewhere down the line. They let just such an opportunity slip through their hands Sunday.
Here are the updated posted during the game by football writer Joe Lyons:
In a defensive battle at the Edward Jones Dome Sunday afternoon, the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers held off the Rams for a 12-6 victory.
The Rams (1-2) managed to knock Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger from the game with a knee injury in the third quarter. But the St. Louis offense never could sustain enough to take advantage.
RAMS REPORT CARD: See how Jeff Gordon rated the players
PHOTOS from Sunday's game
The Steelers (2-1), who led 9-3 at the half, closed out the scoring with a 41-yard field goal by Josh Scobee on the first play after the two-minute warning.
The field goal came three plays after Pittsburgh's Will Allen picked off a pass at midfield and returned it to the Rams' 31.
The Rams announced the 52,433 tickets were sold for the game.
The Rams return to NFC West action Sunday, taking on the Arizona Cardinals on the road.
The Rams threatened midway through the final quarter, thanks largely to a 34-yard pass interference call on the Steelers' Antwon Blake. Kenny Britt was the intended receiver. On the next play, Chris Givens took an end-around 24 yards to the Pittsburgh 7.
But the drive stalled. Tre Mason lost two on a run play and the Rams followed by sandwiching a pair of false starts around a incomplete pass. And third-and-goal from the 19, Nick Foles scrambled and was stopped well short of the goal line. Greg Zuerlein booted a 27-yard field goal with 5:38 to play, cutting the Pittsburgh lead to 9-6.
Down 12-6 late, the Rams' managed to drive close to midfield when a fourth-down pass from Nick Foles to Kenny Britt was overturned upon review. The incomplete pass allowed Pittsburgh to run out the clock.
ROETHLISBERGER OUT WITH KNEE INJURY
Big Ben is done for the day.
With sacks on successive plays _ one from Aaron Donald and the next by safety Mark Barron _ the Rams have knocked Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger from the game.
Veteran Mike Vick has taken over at quarterback.
On the play that Roethlisberger went down, Barron dove at the quarterback's feet and he was hurt as he attempted to escape the pocket. step out of the pocket.
STEELERS LEAD 9-3 AT HALFTIME
After a decent drive stalled near midfield, the Rams attempted a fake punt. But the pass from punter Johnny Hekker short-hopped an open Stedman Bailey near the Rams' sideline, ear th eRam, allowing the Steelers to take possession.
A couple of plays later, Janoris Jenkins picked off an overthown pass from Ben Roethlisberger, giving the Rams the ball at their own 19.
Nine plays later, Greg Zuerlein booted a 49-yard field goal to cut the Pittsburgh lead to 9-3 with 2:05 to play before halftime. Key plays on the scoring drive for the Rams were passes from Nick Foles to Kenny Britt covering 14 and 19 yards.
Some quick halftime numbers:
_ Ben Roethlisberger has completed 13 of 15 passes for 132 yards with an interception. Le'Veon Bell, seeing his first action after missing two weeks due to a league suspension for violating the substance abuse policy, has rushed eight times for 28 yards and a touchdown. He also has three catches for 39 yards. Antonio Brown has seven catches for 67 yards.
_ Nick Foles has completed six of seven passes for 52 yards. Tavon Austin has caught three passes for 25 yards. The NFL career of Todd Gurley is off to a slow start _ three rushes, two yards; one catch for five yards.
STEELERS UP 9-0 EARLY IN SECOND QUARTER
After a delay of about 30 minutes — the pre-game pyrotechnics lit a portion of the turf on fire and required some clean up — the Steelers showed why they lead the NFL in total offense. The marched methodically down the field before the Rams defense stiffened insde the five, getting a key third-down stop from Michael Brockers on Le'Veon Bell.
The Steelers settled for a 21-yard field goal from Josh Scobee, going up 3-0 with 7:18 to play in the opening quarter. The kick capped a 13-play, 77-yard drive.
After forcing a punt, the Steelers are driving again. They enter the second quarter with a first-and-10 at the Rams' 15.
Through one quarter, Ben Roethlisberger has completed 11 of 12 for 127 yards while Antonio Brown, the NFL's top receiver, has six catches for 71 yards.
Early in the third quarter, the Steelers stretched the lead to 9-0 on a 1-yard scoring run from Le'Veon Bell with 13:00 to play before halftime. Pittsburgh went for two, but the Rams' Trumaine Johnson knocked away the pass.
The 12-play drive covered 92 yards and took better than 6 minutes off the clock.
GURLEY IS ACTIVE
A pair of running backs will make their season debut Sunday as the Rams (1-1) host the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) in a noon game at the Edward Jones Dome.
The game was delayed about 30 minutes because part of the turf caught on fire during the pregame introductions.
For the Rams, Sunday marks the NFL debut of highly touted rookie Todd Gurley, the No. 10 pick in last spring's draft. The 6-foot-1, 227-pounder from the University of Georgia hasn't played in a game since November, when he underwent surgery after suffering an ACL injury to his left knee.
For the Steelers, third-year pro Le'Veon Bell returns after sitting out the first two games of the season due to a suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. A year ago, Bell finished second to DeMarco Murray when he rushed for 1,361 yards. Maybe the most complete back in the NFL, Bell also caught 83 passes for 854 yards and scored 11 touchdowns.
Bell joins a Steelers attack that's already ranked first in the NFL in total offense, averaging 458.5 yards per game.
In last week's 43-18 rout of the visiting San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger notched his 107th victory as a starter, tying Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw for the most in franchise history.
QUICK INACTIVE AGAIN
For the third time in as many weeks, wide receiver Brian Quick is among the inactives for the Rams, who are also not dressing defensive end Eugene Sims (knee), running back Chase Reynolds (knee), quarterback Sean Mannion, running back Isaiah Pead and rookie offensive linemen Andrew Donnal and Cody Wichmann.
The Steelers are without one of their defensive leaders as Ryan Shazier, a second-year linebacker from Ohio State is out with a shoulder injury. He had 15 tackles, removed a fumble and forced a fumble last week against the 49ers. Other inactives for Pittsburgh are defensive tackle Daniel McCullers (knee), cornerback Cortez Allen (knee), quarterback Landry Jones, offensive lineman Chris Hubbard, tight end Jesse James and defensive end Caushaud Lyons.
The Steelers are also without All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey, who suffered a broke leg/ankle in the preseason and isn't expected back until after the team's Week 11 bye, and speedy wideout Martavis Bryant, who's serving a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Bryant averaged 21.1 yards per catch and had eight touchdowns as a rookie in 2014.
SERIES HISTORY
The Rams lead the overall series 15-8-2 but have lost in the last two meetings and in three of the four games since the team moved here from Los Angeles. The Steelers won 41-24 in the teams' only previous game in St. Louis in 2007 and shut out the visiting Rams 27-0 the teams' last meeting in 2011.
The Steelers beat the Rams 31-19 in Super Bowl XIV in Pasadena, Calif.
A positive note for Rams' fans: the Steelers are 1-11-1 in road games against the Rams. That includes games played in New Orleans, Cleveland, Akron, Ohio and Los Angeles.
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_d5650766-08f4-5411-ac4a-e0def6572f8f.html
Had the Rams known going in they'd hold Pittsburgh's top-rated offense to 12 points, they would've liked their chances.
"Twelve points — you expect to win those," defensive end Robert Quinn said. "But they held us to six. We've just got to do a little better."
The Rams held Pittsburgh to just 2.8 yards per carry. They knocked quarterback Ben Roethlisberger out of the game with a knee injury in the third quarter, and sacked Roethlisberger and replacement Michael Vick a combined five times.
But when all was said and done, the Rams' offense was punchless, limited to a pair of field goals in a 12-6 loss Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.
"Well, six points isn't going to win you a whole lot of games, and we're averaging eight points a game the last two weeks and that's not going to get it done for you," coach Jeff Fisher said.
The Rams had a few chances, at least enough to put up a couple of touchdowns. But a wide open tight end Lance Kendricks dropped what looked like a deep touchdown pass from Nick Foles, saying he lost the ball in the lights.
In the fourth quarter, Foles forced another deep pass to Kendricks who had gotten behind a Pittsburgh linebacker on the play. But Foles didn't account for Steelers safety Will Allen who swooped in for an interception and returned it 20 yards to the St. Louis 31, setting up a key Josh Scobee field goal for the game's final points.
On the series prior to that interception, the Rams had a first-and-goal at the Pittsburgh 7, only to settle for the second of Greg Zuerlein's two field goals. On a day when almost half of the announced crowd of 52,433 was waving Pittsburgh Terrible Towels, the Rams had to go to the silent count in the red zone because of crowd noise.
Two false starts helped thwart any chances for a touchdown on that drive.
The Rams' last gasp came with 1:05 to play when a booth review overturned what originally was ruled a first-down catch by Kenny Britt on fourth-and-5 from the St. Louis 39.
You could make the case it was maybe inconclusive and then the call on the field stands," Fisher said. "But (referee John Hussey) felt the ball was loose and that's enough."
So as was the case last week in Washington, the Rams let a winnable game slip away. At 1-2, they must now face two of the league's elite teams — Arizona and Green Bay — on the road in back-to-back weeks.
Pittsburgh improved to 2-1, but may have lost Roethlisberger for an extended period of time. X-rays showed no broken bones but he will undergo an MRI back in Pittsburgh.
The Rams took some early punches from the Pittsburgh offense, but yielded "only" a field goal and a touchdown early. The Steelers took only a 9-3 lead into the second half, and when Roethlisberger was knocked out of the game with a knee injury with 5 1/2 minutes to play in the third quarter, things got interesting.
"Oh yeah. I think the whole game, we thought we had a good shot," Rams safety Rodney McLeod said. "Got some turnovers. Made some plays in the pocket (with sacks) — things that we wanted to get done. We just came up a little short."
Safety Mark Barron got to Roethlisberger low on the pass rush, and as Roethlisberger ran forward trying to escape the pocket his left knee buckled. Enter Vick, 35, who until Sunday hadn't thrown a regular-season pass since last Nov. 24 as a New York Jet against Buffalo.
At the game's outset, the Steelers couldn't wait to roll out their top-ranked offense against the Rams this week. After winning the coin toss, they took the kickoff and starting rolling. Normally the Steelers defer and sent their defense out first.
With the Rams frequently playing both safeties deep early, and giving 10-yard cushions at cornerback, it was easy pickings for Big Ben & Co. The underneath routes were there, and the Steelers took them.
In the first quarter alone, Pittsburgh's all-world wide receiver Antonio Brown caught six passes for 71 yards.
"You've gotta respect that guy," McLeod said. "He made some plays early. We adjusted a little bit to their scheme and what they were coming out in to kinda keep him from making some explosive plays today."
Brown had a modest four catches for 37 yards the rest of the way. After piling up four pass plays of 40 yards-plus the week before against San Francisco, the Steelers' longest reception of the day Sunday went for only 20 yards — to Le'Veon Bell.
Thanks to a third-and-goal tackle of Bell by defensive tackle Michael Brockers, the Steelers had to settle for a field goal and a 3-0 lead off the opening drive.
The Steelers second drive covered 92 yards and culminated with a one-yard touchdown run by Bell, who was making his season debut after serving a two-game league suspension.
As has been their custom this season, the Steelers went for the two-point conversion. They were 3-for-3 on 2-pointers through two games, but this time Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson broke up the conversion pass intended for Darrius Heyward-Bey.
So the Steelers' lead stayed at 9-0. At that point, Pittsburgh had outgained the Rams 162 yards to 28.
The Rams did stop the third Pittsburgh possession when Janoris Jenkins intercepted an overthrown Roethlisberger pass intended for Markus Wheaton. The Rams took over on their 19, and thanks to a couple of Foles completions to Britt were able to put three points on the board via a 49-yard field goal by Zuerlein.
An Alec Ogletree sack helped thwart Pittsburgh's final drive of the half by sacking Roethlisberger. So the Steelers led 9-3 at intermission, which from a Rams perspective was a lot better than where the Steelers stood last week at intermission — leading San Francisco by 29-3 en route to a 43-18 romp.
But even once Roethlisberger was knocked out of the game, the Rams couldn't crawl any closer than a 9-6 deficit and never could reach the end zone. On a day when the Rams' defense reasserted itself, the offense proved to be a no-show for the second week in a row.
"We're 1-2," Foles said. "The world's not ending. We'll figure it out."
Maybe so, but each opportunity lost means the Rams will have to steal a game no one expects them to win somewhere down the line. They let just such an opportunity slip through their hands Sunday.
Here are the updated posted during the game by football writer Joe Lyons:
In a defensive battle at the Edward Jones Dome Sunday afternoon, the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers held off the Rams for a 12-6 victory.
The Rams (1-2) managed to knock Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger from the game with a knee injury in the third quarter. But the St. Louis offense never could sustain enough to take advantage.
RAMS REPORT CARD: See how Jeff Gordon rated the players
PHOTOS from Sunday's game
The Steelers (2-1), who led 9-3 at the half, closed out the scoring with a 41-yard field goal by Josh Scobee on the first play after the two-minute warning.
The field goal came three plays after Pittsburgh's Will Allen picked off a pass at midfield and returned it to the Rams' 31.
The Rams announced the 52,433 tickets were sold for the game.
The Rams return to NFC West action Sunday, taking on the Arizona Cardinals on the road.
The Rams threatened midway through the final quarter, thanks largely to a 34-yard pass interference call on the Steelers' Antwon Blake. Kenny Britt was the intended receiver. On the next play, Chris Givens took an end-around 24 yards to the Pittsburgh 7.
But the drive stalled. Tre Mason lost two on a run play and the Rams followed by sandwiching a pair of false starts around a incomplete pass. And third-and-goal from the 19, Nick Foles scrambled and was stopped well short of the goal line. Greg Zuerlein booted a 27-yard field goal with 5:38 to play, cutting the Pittsburgh lead to 9-6.
Down 12-6 late, the Rams' managed to drive close to midfield when a fourth-down pass from Nick Foles to Kenny Britt was overturned upon review. The incomplete pass allowed Pittsburgh to run out the clock.
ROETHLISBERGER OUT WITH KNEE INJURY
Big Ben is done for the day.
With sacks on successive plays _ one from Aaron Donald and the next by safety Mark Barron _ the Rams have knocked Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger from the game.
Veteran Mike Vick has taken over at quarterback.
On the play that Roethlisberger went down, Barron dove at the quarterback's feet and he was hurt as he attempted to escape the pocket. step out of the pocket.
STEELERS LEAD 9-3 AT HALFTIME
After a decent drive stalled near midfield, the Rams attempted a fake punt. But the pass from punter Johnny Hekker short-hopped an open Stedman Bailey near the Rams' sideline, ear th eRam, allowing the Steelers to take possession.
A couple of plays later, Janoris Jenkins picked off an overthown pass from Ben Roethlisberger, giving the Rams the ball at their own 19.
Nine plays later, Greg Zuerlein booted a 49-yard field goal to cut the Pittsburgh lead to 9-3 with 2:05 to play before halftime. Key plays on the scoring drive for the Rams were passes from Nick Foles to Kenny Britt covering 14 and 19 yards.
Some quick halftime numbers:
_ Ben Roethlisberger has completed 13 of 15 passes for 132 yards with an interception. Le'Veon Bell, seeing his first action after missing two weeks due to a league suspension for violating the substance abuse policy, has rushed eight times for 28 yards and a touchdown. He also has three catches for 39 yards. Antonio Brown has seven catches for 67 yards.
_ Nick Foles has completed six of seven passes for 52 yards. Tavon Austin has caught three passes for 25 yards. The NFL career of Todd Gurley is off to a slow start _ three rushes, two yards; one catch for five yards.
STEELERS UP 9-0 EARLY IN SECOND QUARTER
After a delay of about 30 minutes — the pre-game pyrotechnics lit a portion of the turf on fire and required some clean up — the Steelers showed why they lead the NFL in total offense. The marched methodically down the field before the Rams defense stiffened insde the five, getting a key third-down stop from Michael Brockers on Le'Veon Bell.
The Steelers settled for a 21-yard field goal from Josh Scobee, going up 3-0 with 7:18 to play in the opening quarter. The kick capped a 13-play, 77-yard drive.
After forcing a punt, the Steelers are driving again. They enter the second quarter with a first-and-10 at the Rams' 15.
Through one quarter, Ben Roethlisberger has completed 11 of 12 for 127 yards while Antonio Brown, the NFL's top receiver, has six catches for 71 yards.
Early in the third quarter, the Steelers stretched the lead to 9-0 on a 1-yard scoring run from Le'Veon Bell with 13:00 to play before halftime. Pittsburgh went for two, but the Rams' Trumaine Johnson knocked away the pass.
The 12-play drive covered 92 yards and took better than 6 minutes off the clock.
GURLEY IS ACTIVE
A pair of running backs will make their season debut Sunday as the Rams (1-1) host the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) in a noon game at the Edward Jones Dome.
The game was delayed about 30 minutes because part of the turf caught on fire during the pregame introductions.
For the Rams, Sunday marks the NFL debut of highly touted rookie Todd Gurley, the No. 10 pick in last spring's draft. The 6-foot-1, 227-pounder from the University of Georgia hasn't played in a game since November, when he underwent surgery after suffering an ACL injury to his left knee.
For the Steelers, third-year pro Le'Veon Bell returns after sitting out the first two games of the season due to a suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. A year ago, Bell finished second to DeMarco Murray when he rushed for 1,361 yards. Maybe the most complete back in the NFL, Bell also caught 83 passes for 854 yards and scored 11 touchdowns.
Bell joins a Steelers attack that's already ranked first in the NFL in total offense, averaging 458.5 yards per game.
In last week's 43-18 rout of the visiting San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger notched his 107th victory as a starter, tying Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw for the most in franchise history.
QUICK INACTIVE AGAIN
For the third time in as many weeks, wide receiver Brian Quick is among the inactives for the Rams, who are also not dressing defensive end Eugene Sims (knee), running back Chase Reynolds (knee), quarterback Sean Mannion, running back Isaiah Pead and rookie offensive linemen Andrew Donnal and Cody Wichmann.
The Steelers are without one of their defensive leaders as Ryan Shazier, a second-year linebacker from Ohio State is out with a shoulder injury. He had 15 tackles, removed a fumble and forced a fumble last week against the 49ers. Other inactives for Pittsburgh are defensive tackle Daniel McCullers (knee), cornerback Cortez Allen (knee), quarterback Landry Jones, offensive lineman Chris Hubbard, tight end Jesse James and defensive end Caushaud Lyons.
The Steelers are also without All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey, who suffered a broke leg/ankle in the preseason and isn't expected back until after the team's Week 11 bye, and speedy wideout Martavis Bryant, who's serving a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Bryant averaged 21.1 yards per catch and had eight touchdowns as a rookie in 2014.
SERIES HISTORY
The Rams lead the overall series 15-8-2 but have lost in the last two meetings and in three of the four games since the team moved here from Los Angeles. The Steelers won 41-24 in the teams' only previous game in St. Louis in 2007 and shut out the visiting Rams 27-0 the teams' last meeting in 2011.
The Steelers beat the Rams 31-19 in Super Bowl XIV in Pasadena, Calif.
A positive note for Rams' fans: the Steelers are 1-11-1 in road games against the Rams. That includes games played in New Orleans, Cleveland, Akron, Ohio and Los Angeles.
