This is going to be an interesting football game this Sunday.  The Steelers have been on cruise control this year, while the Texans have been playing hard and well every weekend.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers are going to have to mix in more running plays this weekend against the Texans.  Rashard Mendenhall might finally find some running room this weekend as the Texans are giving up 105.7 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry.  The Steelers must establish a running game this week in an effort to slow down the Texans’ pass rush a little bit.  TE Heath Miller might have to stay in and block a lot more this weekend to help in keeping OLB Mario Williams out of Ben Roethlisberger’s face.  Roethlisberger has been sacked 9 times already this year and he has turned the ball over an amazing 8 times (4 lost fumbles and 4 interceptions) so far this year as he has been really sloppy with the football.  WRs Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown will try to get deep this weekend, with TE Heath Miller and WR Hines Ward working on the underneath stuff.

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans have run the ball more than they have passed it this year.  The Steelers are going to have to stop Arian Foster and Ben Tate before worrying about Matt Schaub and the Texans’ lethal passing attack.  WR Andre Johnson is an utter mis-match for anyone in the Steelers’ secondary, so they are going to have to give CB Ike Taylor help over the top.  Matt Schaub has been sacked six times this year, so the Steelers will be blitzing him often.  Schaub has been throwing a lot to TE Owen Daniels lately, so the Steelers safeties are going to have to watch out for him.  WRs Kevin Walter and Jacoby Jones are also solid WRs, so the Steelers will have to look for them too.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 27, STEELERS 17

24-year old RB Rashard Mendenhall has been running the ball like a pansy ass so far this year.  He has played in all three games for the Steelers so far this year and he has carried the ball 49 times for 148 yards (3.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 5 passes for 21 yards (4.2 avg) so far this year.  While it’s true that the O-Line has had their issues, it hasn’t really slowed down 26-year old RB Isaac Redman so far this year.  Redman has also played in all 3 games for the Steelers so far this year and he has carried it 16 times for 67 yards (4.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 1 pass for 6 yards this year.  I have a feeling that Redman’s carries are going to start to go up if Rashard Mendenhall doesn’t decide to start running hard with the ball soon.

The Pittsburgh Steelers got lucky to get out of Indianapolis with a win last night as the Colts beat them up physically.  Ben Roethlisberger looked like a pinata in the backfield last night.  He somehow completed 25 of 37 passes for 364 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 15 yards (3.0 ypc), but he was taking a lot of shots.  He lost two fumbles including one of them that was returned 47 yards for a TD by Colts’ DE Jamaal Anderson.  Rashard Mendenhall had a rough night as he carried the ball 18 times for 37 yards (2.1 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 9 yards (3.0 avg) in this game.  WR Mike Wallace led the way in the passing game for the Steelers last night with 5 grabs for 144 yards (28.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  WR Antonio Brown (4 rec, 75 yards) and TE Heath Miller (5 rec, 71 yards) also had solid games for the Steelers in the passing game.  The Steelers rushed for only 67 yards on 28 carries (2.4 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 37 passes (67.6%) for 341 yards as they had possession of the ball for 33:58.

The defense played solid football against an very undermanned Colts’ offense.  OLB James Harrison came to play as he led the way for the Steelers with 7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 QB hit and 1 forced fumble.  Safeties Ryan Clark (6 tackles) and Troy Polamalu (3 tackles, 2 passes defensed, 2 QB hits and a fumble recovery that he returned 16 yards for a TD) also had nice games for the Steelers.  The Colts finished up with 97 yards rushing on 21 carries (4.6 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 40 passes (45%) for 144 yards.  The Steelers are now 2-1 on the year.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to try to get this game over with quickly on Sunday Night Football.  That’s because the Colts are in disarray and their will might be broken pretty easily if the Steelers hit them with some big plays early in this game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers will likely try to get the running game going with Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman attacking a Colts’ D that is allowing 136.5 yards rushing per game but only 3.6 yards per carry.  The Colts only have 2 sacks this year, but don’t let that fool you, as they have two of the best pass rushing defensive ends on the planet in Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.  Ben Roethlisberger isn’t going to be able to hold the ball too long in this game, so he will need to keep the passing game to the shorter variety.  That favors Hines Ward and TE Heath Miller, who could both have nice games for the Steelers this Sunday.  Roethlisberger will still try to take some shots down the field to WRs Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown.

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts are likely going to try to run the ball a little more than usual in this game.   The Steelers are giving up 100.5 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry so far this year, so giving the ball to Joseph Addai and Delone Carter makes some sense.  The Steelers are going to be blitzing Kerry Collins from everywhere on the field, because when he gets hit early in a game, he tends to get rattled.  CB Ike Taylor will likely be on Reggie Wayne most of this game, so the Steelers should be o.k. there.  They also should be able to handle TE Dallas Clark with safeties Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark.  WRs Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie are going to be the Colts’ semi-secret weapons in this game.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 27, COLTS 13

29-year old QB Ben Roethlisberger played a lot better against the Seahawks than he did against the Ravens in the season opener.  That being said, the Steelers can’t consistently win without Big Ben playing well as the defense is getting older.  He has played in both of the Steelers games so far this year and he has completed 44 of 71 passes (62%) for 578 yards with 2 TD passes and 3 INTs (79.4 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 6 times for 17 yards (2.8 ypc) so far this year.  The Steelers better hope that getting married isn’t making Roethlisberger soft as he can’t get away with some of the stuff that used to give him an edge anymore….if you know what I mean.

The Steelers took out some frustration on the Seahawks at Heinz Field yesterday.  Ben Roethlisberger was sharp in this game as he completed 22 of 30 passes for 298 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 8 yards (1.6 ypc) in this game.  Rashard Mendenhall led the way on the ground for the Steelers in this game with 66 yards rushing on 19 carries (3.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 2 passes for 12 yards (6.0 avg) in this game.  Isaac Redman pitched in with 49 yards rushing on 10 carries (4.9 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 1 pass for 6 yards.  WR Mike Wallace led the way in the passing game for the Steelers with 8 grabs for 126 yards (15.8 avg) with 1 TD catch.  WRs Antonio Brown (4 rec, 67 yards) and Hines Ward (4 rec, 33 yards) also pitched in for the Steelers in the passing game.  WR Emmanuel Sanders caught 2 passes for 44 yards (22.0 avg) and he also completed his only pass attempt and it was good for 15 yards in this game.  The Steelers finished up with 124 yards rushing on 35 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 31 passes (74.2%) for 297 yards as they had possession of the ball for 38:44.

The defense was outstanding yesterday as they might be getting their groove back.  Safety Troy Polamalu (8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) and LB Lawrence Timmons (8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) led the way for the Steelers’ D yesterday.  OLB James Harrison also had a decent game with 4 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit.  The Seahawks only had 31 yards rushing on 13 carries (2.4 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 29 passes (69%) for 133 yards.  The Steelers are now 1-1 on the year.

The Pittsburgh Steelers sucked last weekend in every facet of the game.  But, the Seahawks are not nearly as talented as the Ravens and this is the home opener for a likely surly Steelers’ group.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers are likely going to come out throwing the ball to get a lead and then grind out a win on the ground.  Ben Roethlisberger should have a lot more time to throw the ball this weeekend as the Seahawks didn’t have any sacks against the Niners last week.  The Seahawks have a very physical and talented pair of safeties in Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor, so Roethlisberger is going to be careful when throwing the ball deep.  Rashard Mendenhall will have his work cut out for him against a Seahawks’ D that held the Niners to only 85 yards rushing on 32 carries (2.7 ypc) last week.

When the Seahawks have the ball:  The Seahawks are likely going to try to run the ball with Marshawn Lynch right up the gut.  That means that NT Casey Hampton and ILBs Lawrence Timmons, James Farrior and Larry Foote are going to have to be on their A-game.  The Steelers aren’t too worried about Seahawks’ QB Tarvaris Jackson beating them with the passing game.  The Steelers’ OLBs (James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley) should get back on the right track this weekend as the Seahawks gave up 5 sacks against the Niners.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 27, SEAHAWKS 13

There wasn’t much positive going on for the Steelers against the Ravens last Sunday in Baltimore.  But, 27-year old punter Daniel Sepulveda was a bright spot.  He punted the ball 4 times for 211 yards (52.8 avg) against the Ravens.  He had 1 touchback but he pinned the Ravens inside their own 20-yard line twice and that is impressive.  Sepulveda has now played in 45 games in his first five years with the Steelers and he has punted the ball 200 times for 8,715 yards (43.6 avg).  He also has 15 touchbacks (7.5%) and he has placed 75 punts (37.5%) inside the opposing 20-yard line.  The Steelers hope that Sepulveda keeps up the good work.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed 25-year old OT Jamon Meredith.  Meredith played in 5 games (0 starts) for the Giants, Lions and Bills last year.  He has now played in 13 games (4 starts) in his first two years in the NFL.  Meredith has nice size at 6’5″, 312 pounds so it makes sense for the Steelers to give him a shot.

The Steelers have lost 28-year old OT Willie Colon for the season due to a torn triceps muscle.  He started against the Ravens last Sunday.  He has played in 51 games (all starts) in his first six years with the Steelers.  The Steelers are going to have to go outside the organization to try to find some offensive line help or Ben Roethlisberger and Rashard Mendenhall are going to get the crap kicked out of them all year long like they did last Sunday against the Ravens.