http://www.planetsteelers.com/forums/showthread.php/44683-Rams
Rams
The Redskins ran the p!$$ out of the ball against the Rams today....we get Le'Veon Bell back and Deangelo Williams is playing well....if our D can fly around and hit people next week like they did today, I like our chances.
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Yep I agree, if we block their front 7 I could see another blowout.
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This is a scary game.
Coming off a win and going on the road against a team who lost to a bad team the week prior is a scary thing.
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I don't believe the rams are a good team - however I believe Fisher is a good coach. They will be prepared.
Having said that, I just don't know how anyone can plan for all the weapons Ben has at his disposal. If they load up to stop the run - Ben slings it around. if they drop back to defend the pass we run the crap out of it. One of the things I took away from watching the game at Heinz today - is how in complete control Ben is with the offense. He knows exactly what is going on.
I think the rams will see a healthy dose of bell to help him into game shape - but unless we simply play poorly, stopping this offense will be a tough task.
wasn't it just 2 years ago everyone was calling for haley's head?
he has quietly built the most explosive and dynamic offense we've likely ever seen here. we have a 12 year vet franchise QB surrounded by young talent. We have transitioned our defense into a very very young defense. It will continue to improve.
The last few years have been frustrating - but I believe we are on the verge of another great run. The steelers surrounded Ben with playmakers for the last years of his career. we have been spoiled in the past with great football - i think there's more of it on the way for several years to come.
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I had the rams Defense on my draftkings.....
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The quarterbacks were the difference, IMO.
Cousins: 23/27, 203 yds, 1 TD, 0 INTs, an 85% completion percent and 7.5 YPA
Foles: 17/32, 150 yds, 1TD, 0 INTs, a 53% completion percentage and 4.7 YPA
Cousins' high percentage probably kept drives alive while Foles' low percentage probably produced a lot of 3 and outs or 6 and outs which limits your scoring opportunities.
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The Rams still have one of the best front seven in all of football, though. Robert Quinn and Chris Long at DE. Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, and Nick Fairley at DT. James Laurinaitis, Alec Ogletree, and Akeem Ayers at LB. Our OL is going to have it's hands full trying to block these guys in a loud dome.
When talking about how dynamic and explosive our offense has become, guys like Ben, Brown, Bell, Bryant, etc. have gotten tons of credit, but this offensive renaissance has coincided with Mike Munchak's arrival. Ben was quite comfortable back there today...he could throw checkdowns or intermediate routes, but also had the time to take multiple chances deep with great success, because he was clean all day. Le'Veon Bell is able to be patient because our OL is able to open holes, and they have shown that in the last couple of games with DeAngelo in there.
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That front seven is nasty and I'm sure they'll be smarting after a bad loss. Not too worried about the dome, though - they had 21,000 empty seats for their home opener against their division rival and defending NFC champions.
The towels will be out in full force on Sunday.
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Aaron Donald vs. David DeCastro and Robert Quinn vs. Kelvin Beachum are two huge matchups for us.
I'm curious to see how Brandon Scherff and Trent Williams did vs. Donald and Quinn, respectively, yesterday.
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The Redskins ran 37 times for 182 yards, but Donald graded out insanely well on Pro Football Focus. All Rams linement graded well, except Quinn.
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http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...-surrounding-the-steelers-heading-into-week-3
The nuts and bolts surrounding the Steelers heading into Week 3
By
Steel-Gator on Sep 24, 2015
When it comes to the
Pittsburgh Steelers, there is plenty to be happy about, especially after their 43-18 victory over the
San Francisco 49ers in Week 2. However, will they be able to duplicate such success against the
St. Louis Rams this Sunday? We take a look back, and a look ahead at what to expect from the black and gold in Week 3.
Looking ahead
Getting their first win on the road
The Steelers aim for their first road win of the young season in St. Louis against a Rams team that has shown plenty of both good and bad. Last year, the Rams finished at 6-10, giving up over 30 points in 7 of those losses. In defense of their defense, though, the offense actually gave up 7 touchdowns over the year and special teams two more. They've shown flashes of outright dominance as well, beating Denver 22-7 and shutting out Oakland and Washington, 52-0 and 24-0 respectively.
The common thought is that last year's Rams were held back by woeful play from backup QB's, and there's some truth to that. The Rams offense had some big games as well, but overall was a handicap. More than just giving opponents short fields, the Rams offense was plagued with bad turnovers, giving up 8 defensive touchdowns on interceptions and fumble returns to go with two special teams touchdowns given up.
They were 0-7 when giving up a defensive or special teams score, and would've been 3-4 in those games if not for those touchdowns given up. Conversely, the 2014 Rams were 6-3 when they didn't give up defensive or special teams touchdowns.
The bad news for Rams fans is that backup QB's Shaun Hill and Austin Davis aren't solely to blame. Davis completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,000 yards with 12 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 8 starts in 2014. Shaun Hill completed 63 percent of his passes also, for 1,657 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions in his 8 starts. Those numbers aren't good, but add them up and they're not that different from Sam Bradford's production, typified by 60 percent completions for 3,700 yards 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions en route to a 7-9 record when he started all 16 games in 2012.
Worse, they're not too different from
Nick Foles, the ostensible savior of the team, whose 60 percent completion rate, 2,163 yards and 13 touchdowns to 10 interceptions in 8 starts in 2014 makes him look right at home in a Rams uniform. Rams fans hope Foles' spectacular 2013 production can be duplicated in St. Louis, but until proven otherwise Foles is the quarterback he was when he was last on the field, and that is not a very good one.
Todd Gurley was drafted as a dynamic RB to take pressure off of Foles, but he has still not returned from injury and is unlikely to impact this Sunday's game. All this basically means the Rams are not really improved offensively from last year, or the years before when they were equally bad, at least not yet.
That brings us to this year, and so far we've seen more of the same: good Rams and bad Rams. The Rams looked solid in a 34-31 defeat of Seattle despite giving up touchdowns on a punt return and an fumble return (maybe their offense should participate in tackling drills?).
The Rams looked feeble in a 24-10 loss to the
Redskins that was 24-0 already at the end of the first half. Foles has yet to throw an interception this year, looking in that regard much more like his highly efficient 2013 self more than the turnover prone 2014 self. However, Foles was responsible for the fumble returned for a touchdown by Seattle.
It's tough to know what to expect from such a Jekyll and Hyde opponent. The Rams have effectively contained quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, Phillip Rivers, and
Tony Romo, and been shredded by
Colin Kaepernick and Eli Manning.
This year already they've held Marshawn Lynch to 73 yards (24 yards coming on one play), and given up 123 yards and 2 touchdowns to rookie 3rd rounder Matt Jones. The Rams defense can shut down both run and pass, and they can be victimized by both run and pass.
What this suggests to me is that the Rams success is very game plan driven rather than personnel driven. If it were personnel driven you would have a clear trend of beating worse teams and losing to better teams, a clear map of where their strengths and weakness are according to what matchups they succeed or struggle in. We don't have that.
Thus, it seems that it's more about guessing right or guessing wrong. If Fisher is able to take his opponent by surprise with an effective game plan that matches up well with what his opponent is trying to do, the Rams look great. If Fisher guesses wrong, and is taken by surprise, they look pretty awful.
What that means for the Steelers is that they have a better chance than most teams. Part of that is obviously because they are better than most teams. The other part is that the Steelers are tremendously balanced, at least offensively. That makes them really hard to game plan for and gives them the option of adjusting effectively on the fly even if they do encounter an effective defensive game plan. Don't forget about the defense either.
The most constant feature in Rams wins and losses is that they have a real tendency to give up big defensive plays. The Steelers have collected some dynamic playmakers on defense that are capable of playing takeaway and making the most of takeaways. An individual that should not be overlooked in this capacity is actually the veteran "Big Play" Willie Gay who had 3 touchdowns last year and 1 the year before.
Beware the "trap game"
This week has "trap game" written all over it, but fortunately the Steelers have Denver's shocking loss to St. Louis last year to remind them not to take this team lightly. They also have the advantage of being by far the better team, and Le'Veon Bell at least will not be playing on cruise control in his first game back from suspension. The Steelers should win this game fairly easily.
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My fear. ...
My only fear is that Ben tries to force the ball to Bell in his first game back. I think the prudent thing to do is split carries with DWill, even though it’ll be hard to keep Bell off of the field. I know he’s chomping at the bit to play, but if the Rams are smart they will be keying on him. AB cannot be covered, so we need to play this one smart, instead of from the heart. Thank you for reading my post. Go Stillers!
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Deep pass may not be there
Due to the solid D-line of St. Louis. However, we can play the short game as well.
I have not see that defense play. However, even if they put heat on Ben they had better get there. I think this is the type of game that Wheaton and Miller can shine. St. Louis will try to take away Brown and Bell but others will step up. DHB will also have another 3-4 catches in this game.
It would not be good to force the ball to Bell. However, if it is there take it.
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The Steelers countered the 49ers DLine
With a lot of max-protect. Keeping backs and TEs in and putting less into patterns. It worked pretty well seeing WHO the people still running the patterns were.
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The way to beat this Rams team
Is to force TO’s on defense by getting legitimate pressure and rattling QB’s. On offense, we should run the ball, especially with draw plays from under center and the shotgun.
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I just cant see the Rams
Stopping this Offense at nearly 100%. Kirk Cousins was able to rip them apart, I think Ben and Brown will do more. Just need the D to show up again and play well. But as they say, that’s why they play the game, no one can win on paper.
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Special Teams Decides This One
If the Rams get a punt/kick/int return for a score/near score they win. If not, we win.
Hope week 3 is not going to be the time for the annual Steelers special teams coach should be fired episode.
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