The Steelers have to be upset with WR Santonio Holmes who they suspended for tomorrow’s game with the Giants due to his arrest on marijuana possession.  Holmes has caught 22 passes for 360 yards (16.4 avg) with a TD grab so far this season and the Steelers will miss his ability to stretch the defense.  Nate Washington will replace him in the starting lineup and he should do a decent job for the Steelers against the Giants.  He has caught 15 passes for 225 yards (15.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this season.  Rookie Limas Sweed (1 rec, 11 yards) or Dallas Baker (0 catches) will have to step up and be the #3 WR for the Steelers this week replacing Washington.  Hopefully Santonio Holmes learned his lesson and won’t be so stupid and selfish in the future.

Ben Roethlisberger screwed up early in this game throwing a 72-yard pick six to his personal kryptonite in CB Rashean Mathis but after that he played very well.  He completed 26 of 41 passes for 309 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 interception despite taking some more big hits.  He’s probably very happy that the Steelers have a bye this week so he can lick his wounds a little bit.  Mewelde Moore got the start at running back and he had a really solid game rushing for 99 yards on 17 carries (5.9 ypc) and catching 3 passes for 17 yards (5.7 avg).  Nate Washington (6 rec, 94 yards), Hines Ward (7 rec, 90 yards) and Heath Miller (5 rec, 45 yards) each had one TD grab apiece with Ward’s being the eventual game winner.  The Steelers finished up this game with 129 yards rushing on 26 carries (5.0 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 41 passes for 286 yards.

Linebacker LaMarr Woodley led a spirited effort for the Steelers’ defense last Sunday Night as he finished with 6 tackles and two sacks.  The Steelers held the Jaguars to only 38 yards rushing on 19 carries (2.0 ypc) and they completed 18 of 32 passes for 175 yards.  The Steelers are now 4-1 on the season and they are sitting atop the AFC North.

The Steelers might be 3-1 this season but they have not played well overall as the offensive line stinks.  The Jaguars have beaten the Steelers four straight times including knocking the Steelers out of last year’s playoffs on there own field.  The Steelers will try to come out throwing the football in this game as the Jags will be without Reggie Nelson and Drayton Florence.  Still, for any of the passing to work for the Steelers the line has to protect Ben Roethlisberger better as he has been sacked 15 times already this season.  The Steelers love to run the football but I doubt that they have any success on the ground against a very physical Jaguars’ D.

The Jaguars also have issues along the O-Line as David Garrard has been sacked 10 times this season.  Look for the Jags to put the ball in Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew’s hands despite the Steelers allowing only 74.0 yards rushing and 2.9 yards per carry.  Matt Jones is having a breakout season so he will be the likely target when Garrard drops back to throw the ball. 

PREDICTION:  JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 27, PITTSBURGH STEELERS 17

Due to injuries to Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall the Steelers have to add a back and brought Najeh Davenport back into the fold.  He played in 15 games (1 start) for the Steelers last season and he carried the ball 107 times for 499 yards (4.7 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 18 passes for 184 yards (10.2 avg) with 2 TD grabs last year.  Davenport’s main duty in his first game (against the Jaguars Sunday Night) will be to return kickoffs so that Mewelde Moore can concentrate on offense.  Davenport returned 7 kickoffs for 123 yards (17.6 avg) last season which isn’t great but the Steelers were very lucky that no team picked Davenport up after they cut him.  This was a great signing for them.

Mewelde Moore has moved from #3 on the depth chart to the starting lineup against the Jaguars due to injuries.  Moore has carried the ball 9 times for 19 yards (2.1 ypc) and he has caught 3 passes for 37 yards (12.3 avg) so far this season.  He also has returned 2 punts for -2 yards (-1.0 avg) and 4 kickoffs for 73 yards (18.3 avg) but he will give up those jobs to Najeh Davenport on kickoffs and Santonio Holmes on punts.  Gary Russell has been brought off of the practice squad to back up Moore and Najeh Davenport has been brought back.  Moore gets a tough first start against the Jaguars as the O-Line of the Steelers has been awful this season.

Starting fullback Carey Davis will absent for the Steelers’ game against the Jaguars on Sunday Night football.  Davis has carried the ball 10 times for 18 yards (1.8 ypc) and he also has caught 2 passes for 9 yards (4.5 avg) this season.  Davis will be replaced by converted TE Sean McHugh and that will hurt the Steelers’ running game.

The Steelers have lost rookie RB Rashard Mendenhall for the season due to a fractured right shoulder that he suffered in the Monday Night game against the Ravens.  Mendenhall’s rookie season ends with 58 yards rushing on 19 carries (3.1 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 17 yards (8.5 avg).  Maybe Mendenhall will learn his lesson about talking trash as the Ravens definately wanted to flatten him and they did.

The Steelers have lost starting right guard Kendall Simmons for the season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon that he suffered in the Monday Night game with the Ravens.  Trai Essex and Darnell Stapleton will battle for Simmons’ old job and that’s not a good thing for the Steelers who are only averaging 3.4 yards per carry this season in the running game and the O-Line has got the QBs sacked 16 times this season.

The Steelers barely got by on Monday Night against the Ravens.  Ben Roethlisberger looked so-so again as he completed 14 of 24 passes for 191 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  Rookie Rashard Mendenhall started in place of Willie Parker and he carried the ball 9 times for 30 yards (3.3 ypc) before fracturing his shoulder ending his rookie season.  Mewelde Moore didn’t do much either carrying the rock 8 times for 13 yards (1.6 ypc) and catching 3 passes for 37 yards (12.3 avg).  WR Santonio Holmes had a decent game for the Steelers with 3 catches for 61 yards (20.3 avg) with a TD.  The Steelers finished up with 69 yards rushing on 28 carries (2.5 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 24 passes for 168 yards.

The defense is why the Steelers won this football game……plain and simple.  OLB James Harrison led the way for the D with 11 tackles and 2.5 sacks.  Troy Polamalu (9 tackles) and LaMarr Woodley (8 tackles, 1.5 sacks, fumble recovery) both also had huge games.  The Ravens finished up with 103 yards rushing on 33 carries (3.1 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 31 passes for 140 yards.  The Steelers are now 3-1 on the season.