If the Steelers were playing almost any other team in the NFL tonight, they would have lost……but they didn’t.  Ben Roethlisberger completed 21 of 31 passes for 193 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT as he looked uncomfortable tonight with his broken right thumb.  Rashard Mendenhall had to fight for every yard he got today as he rushed for 57 yards on 17 carries (3.4 ypc).  He also caught 2 passes for 10 yards (5.0 avg) in this game.  Isaac Redman pitched in with 22 yards rushing on 3 carries (7.3 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 8 yards (4.0 avg).  Antonio Brown led the way in the passing game for the Steelers tonight with 4 grabs for 84 yards (21.0 avg).  The Steelers finished up with 108 yards rushing on 28 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 31 passes (67.7%) for 182 yards in this game as they had possession of the ball for 33:30.

The Steelers’ D played pretty well against the awful Chiefs’ offense tonight.  Safety Ryan Mundy (10 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception), LB Lawrence Timmons (7 tackles) and LB Jason Worilds (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 4 QB hits) led the way for the Steelers in this game.  DE Brett Keisel (fumble recovery), CB Ike Taylor (interception) and CB Keenan Lewis (interception) made big plays for the Steelers today.  The Chiefs finished up with 90 yards rushing on 34 carries (2.6 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 28 passes (64.3%) for 162 yards.  The Steelers are now 8-3 on the season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off their bye week, so they have had two weeks to get ready for the Chiefs.  The Chiefs have lost three games in a row by a combined score of 82-16!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers might look to run a lot more than usual in this game due to Ben Roethlisberger’s broken right thumb.  The Chiefs are giving up 136.3 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry, so Rashard Mendenhall should have a good game.  The Steelers might keep the passing game shorter this weekend, to put a little less pressure on Ben Roethlisberger and his thumb.  Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Heath Miller are more than capable of getting yards after the catch, so that gameplan should work.

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs are likely going to try to run the ball a lot this weekend in an effort to control the clock.  Thomas Jones, Dexter McCluster and Jackie Battle are likely to split carries against the Steelers.  The Steelers must be careful in defending McCluster as he is a big play waiting to happen.  The Steelers will likely be coming after Tyler Palko in an effort to force him into making mistakes as he threw 3 pickoffs last weekend.  He does have a nice set of WRs in Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston and Jonathan Baldwin.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 30, CHIEFS 6

29-year old QB Ben Roethlisberger is going to give it a go with a broken right thumb.  He won’t be able to take snaps from under the center, so he will be lining up in the shotgun against the Chiefs this weekend.  Charlie Batch better be ready in case he’s needed.  Roethlisberger has played in 10 games for the Steelers so far this year and he has completed 224 of 354 passes (63.3%) for 2,877 yards with 16 TD passes and 9 INTs (93.2 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 26 times for 62 yards (2.4 ypc) so far this year.  The Steelers better hope that Roethlisberger can play effectively with his injury, because they are not good enough to get to the playoffs without him.

30-year old safety Troy Polamalu has appeared to lose a step for the Steelers as he always seems to be a split second short of making the big plays he’s used to making.  Polamalu is still playing well for the Steelers this year though.  He has played in 10 games for the Steelers so far this year and he has 62 tackles, 1 sack, 7 passes defensed, 1 fumble recovery and 3 tackles for a loss.  Polamalu has now played in 117 games in his first 9 years with the Steelers and he has 578 tackles, 32 tackles for a loss, 9 sacks, 27 interceptions (2 returned for TDs), 88 passes defensed, 8 forced fumbles and 5 fumble recoveries.

35-year old WR Hines Ward has been demoted to the #4 receiver on the Steelers and he will likely be #5 when Emmanuel Sanders returns from injury.  Ward has played in 9 games for the Steelers this year and he has caught 27 passes for 268 yards (9.9 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Ward has now played in 211 games in his first 14 years for the Steelers and he has caught 981 passes for 11,970 yards (12.2 avg) with 85 TD grabs.  Ward will probably get into the Hall of Fame and that might likely be six years from now (you have to be retired for five years) as he is running out of steam pretty quickly.

The Steelers grinded out a nice road win yesterday in the “Jungle”.  Ben Roethlisberger had a solid game as he completed 21 of 33 passes for 245 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 44 yards on 16 carries (2.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 1 pass for 26 yards in this game.  WRs Antonio Brown (5 rec, 86 yards), Mike Wallace (6 rec for 54 yards and 2 carries for 31 yards) and WR Jerricho Cotchery (2 rec, 29 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Steelers yesterday.  The Steelers finished up with 105 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 33 passes (63.6%) for 223 yards as they had possession of the ball for 33:53.

The defense played pretty well for the Steelers yesterday.  Safeties Ryan Clark (8 tackles) and Troy Polamalu (6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed) led the way for the Steelers in this game.  LB James Farrior (6 tackles), LB Lawrence Timmons (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) and CB William Gay (3 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 1 interception) also had solid games for the Steelers yesterday.  The Bengals finished up with 109 yards rushing on 26 carries (4.2 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 30 passes (50%) for 170 yards in this game.  The Steelers are now in first place in the AFC North with a 7-3 record, 1/2 a game ahead of the Bengals and Ravens.

This is a very important game for the Steelers who are now looking up to both the Ravens and Bengals in the AFC North!  The Steelers have only beaten one team with the winning record (the Patriots) so far this year.  The Bengals have won five games in a row, so they are feeling pretty good about themselves right now.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers are likely going to come out passing the ball this weekend against the Bengals.  Ben Roethlisberger is likely to be under duress as the Bengals have 20 sacks already this year.  But, that is when he is at his best.  The Bengals are giving up 216.8 yards passing per game so far this year and they only have 3 interceptions, so Roethlisberger is going to make plays down the field to WRs Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace.  If the heat is really coming on from the Bengals’ pass rush, shorter passes to Hines Ward and Heath Miller will be in order.  Rashard Mendenhall is likely going to have a long day as the Bengals are only giving up 84.5 yards rushing per game and 3.3 yards per carry.

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Steelers are giving up 4.2 yards per carry so far this year, so the Bengals are going to give Cedric Benson his fair share of carries.  The Bengals’ O-Line has done a pretty good job of pass blocking for Andy Dalton, but that’s not going to stop the blitzing from the Steelers.  The Steelers need to make Dalton uncomfortable in the pocket, which will force him into making some mistakes (at least that’s what the Steelers hope).  His favorite target down the field has been rookie WR A.J. Green and he is a gamebreaker.  Andre Caldwell, TE Donald Lee and RB Brian Leonard are also key targets for Dalton, so the Steelers’ secondary is going to have to be ready to deal with them to.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 27, BENGALS 17

The Steelers have claimed 24-year old DT Al Woods off waivers from the Seahawks.  Woods played in 2 games for the Seahawks earlier this year and he had 2 tackles.  Woods has now played in 11 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 19 tackles and 1/2 a sack.  The Steelers need help on the interior of the D-Line, so they will give Woods a chance to show what he can do.

The Steelers have lost 24-year old WR Emmanuel Sanders for the next 2-3 weeks with a torn meniscus.  Sanders played in 8 games for the Steelers so far this year and he has caught 18 passes for 243 yards (13.5 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He has now played in 21 games for the Steelers in his first two years with the Steelers and he has caught 46 passes for 619 yards (13.5 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  The Steelers will miss Sanders, as he has been pretty solid for them this year.

39-year old head coach Mike Tomlin continues to keep the Steelers on the right path.  The Steelers are now 6-3 on the season, despite suffering a lot of key injuries on defense this year.  The Steelers are now 49-24 (67.1%) during the regular season in Tomlin’s first six years with the Steelers.  Tomlin’s team always seems to be well prepared and he does a pretty solid job of motivating his team.  The Steelers’ team is built around Tomlin’s tough guy image and I don’t see that changing any time soon.