The Pittsburgh Steelers could win the AFC North with a win over the Browns in Cleveland and a Ravens’ loss to the Bengals in Cincy this weekend.  The Steelers could also be the #1 seed in the AFC with a Ravens and Patriots loss this Sunday combined with a win over the Browns.  The Steelers beat the Browns in a hard fought, slobberknocker 14-3 in the first meeting in Pittsburgh just three weeks ago.  The Browns have lost five games in a row, but they are playing better with Seneca Wallace at QB.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers are likely going to come out feeding the ball to Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman against a Browns’ D that is allowing 146.5 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry so far this year.  Ben Roethlisberger will likely start this game at QB, but he likely will only play the first half with Charlie Batch finishing this game at QB.  The Browns are likely going to blitz a little more to try to apply more pain to Big Ben.  Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Heath Miller likely won’t play the whole game this Sunday either, unless the Bengals are thumping the Ravens.  Look for Hines Ward to resurface in this game with the starters likely getting some much needed rest.

When the Browns have the ball:  The Browns are going to come out pounding Peyton Hillis at the front seven of the Steelers’ D.  The Steelers are giving up 4.1 yards per carry so far this year, so Hillis should have more success than the first time these two teams played.  If the Steelers can slow down Hillis, they can make the Browns a one dimensional offense.  Their passing game has looked better under Seneca Wallace.  He will be trying to get the ball down the field to Earl Little and TE Evan Moore.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 20, BROWNS 17

The Pittsburgh Steelers are sending four offensive players and one defender to the Pro Bowl this year.  29-year old QB Ben Roethlisberger will be going as a reserve.  He has played in 14 games for the Steelers so far this year and he has completed 301 of 473 passes (63.6%) for 3,856 yards with 21 TD passes and 14 INTs (91.5 QB Rating).  He also also carried the ball 31 times for 70 yards (2.3 ypc) so far this year.  25-year old WR Mike Wallace will also be going to Hawaii.  He has played in 15 games for the Steelers so far this year and he has caught 71 passes for 1,182 yards (16.6 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  23-year old WR Antonio Brown will give the Pro Bowl some versatility on the roster as he can return punts and kickoffs.  He has played in 15 games for the Steelers this year and he has caught 63 passes for 1,018 yards (16.2 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 7 times for 41 yards (5.9 ypc) so far this season.  Brown has been a solid return man for the Steelers this year in addition to being a solid WR.  He has returned 30 punts for 325 yards (10.8 avg) with 1 TD return and he has also returned 24 kickoffs for 664 yards (27.7 avg) so far this year.  22-year old center Maurkice Pouncey has had a solid sophomore season in the NFL as he has played in 13 games (all starts) for the Steelers so far this year.  30-year old safety Troy Polamalu will be making another trip to the Pro Bowl.  He has played in 15 games for the Steelers so far this year and he has 89 tackles, 1 sack, 6 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception and 11 passes defensed.

The Steelers dominated the Rams in this game!  Charlie Batch got the start at QB and he was a decent game manager type.  He completed 15 of 22 passes for 208 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  Rashard Mendenhall led the way on the ground for the Steelers in this game with 116 yards rushing on 18 carries (6.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 1 pass and it went for 35 yards.  Isaac Redman pitched in with 8 carries for 35 yards (4.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  John Clay scored on a 10-yard TD run on his only carry of the game.  WRs Mike Wallace (4 rec, 82 yards) and Hines Ward (4 rec, 32 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Steelers.  The Steelers finished up with 169 yards rushing on 28 carries (6.0 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 22 passes (68.2%) for 208 yards as they had possession of the ball for 29:15.

The defense was outstanding for the Steelers in this game.  LB Lawrence Timmons led the way for the Steelers on D with 11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 2 QB hits.  Safety Troy Polamalu (6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed), CB William Gay (6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed) and safety Ryan Mundy (6 tackles) also had solid games for the Steelers.  The Rams finished up with 164 yards rushing on 36 carries (4.6 ypc) and they also completed 9 of 24 passes (37.5%) for 68 yards.  The Steelers are now 11-4 on the year.

The Steelers got thumped last Monday Night, 20-3 by the 49ers in San Francisco.  This is a very important game for the Steelers, who could still be the #1 seed in the AFC with 2 wins and some help the last two weeks of the year.  Charlie Batch will be starting at QB tomorrow as the Steelers’ coaching staff finally have seen the light.  The Rams have lost five games in a row and they will be starting #3 QB Kellen Clemens.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Steelers have the ball:  I look for the Steelers to run the ball a lot tomorrow against a Rams’ D that is allowing 153.4 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry so far this year.  Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman and Mewelde Moore could all get a lot of work tomorrow.  The Rams have 36 sacks this year (DE Chris Long has 13), so they are going to be coming after Charlie Batch.  The Steelers will likely keep the passing game short to Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Heath Miller and let them get yards after the catch.

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are going to feed the ball to RB Steven Jackson both in the running and passing games tomorrow.  They need to get him going against the Steelers, to help slow the pass rush.  The Steelers are going to come after Kellen Clemens relentlessly tomorrow.  He will try to make the Steelers pay for blitzing him by throwing the ball to WR Brandon Lloyd.  His other options at WR and TE aren’t likely to scare the Steelers that much….if at all.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 20, RAMS 7

The Steelers have placed 23-year old cornerback Curtis Brown on the Injured Reserve List due to a knee injury.  Brown was a 3rd round pick out of Texans last April for the Steelers.  He played in 12 games for the Steelers as a rookie and he had 14 tackles and 2 forced fumbles.  The Steelers are going to miss Brown on special teams.

The Steelers are now 0-3 against the Harbaugh’s after getting slapped around by the 49ers last night!  With hindsight always being 20/20, head coach Mike Tomlin made a very poor decision to play Ben Roethlisberger last night.  He was a sitting duck in the pocket as he couldn’t move around, negating his best quality.  He completed 25 of 44 passes for 330 yards with 0 TD passes and 3 INTs.  He also fumbled twice, losing one that set up a TD for the 49ers.  Rashard Mendenhall led the way on the ground for the Steelers last night with 64 yards on 15 carries (4.3 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 25 yards.  Mewelde Moore pitched in with 1 carry for 21 yards and 2 catches for 5 yards (2.5 avg).  WR Jerricho Cotchery (5 rec, 93 yards), Heath Miller (5 rec, 82 yards), Antonio Brown (5 catches, 59 yards) and Mike Wallace (5 catches for 66 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Steelers last night.  The Steelers finished up with 84 yards rushing on 19 carries (4.4 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 44 passes (56.8%) for 305 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:26.

The defense actually didn’t play that bad last night as the Steelers’ offense set up some short fields for the Niners to operate on.  Safety Troy Polamalu (7 tackles), LB Lawrence Timmons (6 tackles), LB Jason Worilds (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss) and safety Ryan Clark (5 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 2 passes defensed led the way for the D last night.  The 49ers finished up with 100 yards rushing on 30 carries (3.3 ypc0 and they also completed 18 of 31 passes (58.1%) for 187 yards.  The Steelers are now 10-4 on the year.

This is a huge game for both teams as they each would like to get a bye in the first round of the playoffs.  The Steelers have won 4 games in a row and 8 of their last 9, so they come into this game red hot.  The Niners have lost two of their last three games.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers will likely want to stay somewhat balanced in this game with Ben Roethlisberger being gimpy.  That might not be possible though as no one runs on the Niners.  They are only giving up 70.5 yards rushing per game and 3.2 yards per carry, so Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman are going to have to fight for every yard they get on Monday Night.  The Niners have a good secondary (18 interceptions) and they are going to come after Roethlisberger like a shark that smells blood in the water.  If Roethlisberger has time to throw the ball, he should be able to make some plays down the field to Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown.

When the 49ers have  the ball:  The Niners are a run first team and they are going to be coming after the Steelers with RBs Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter.  The Niners are giving up only 97.0 yards rushing per game, but 4.0 yards per carry.  Teams just don’t stick with the running game against the Steelers, but the Niners will try to stick with it.  The Steelers are going to be coming after QB Alex Smith big time as the Ravens sacked him 9 times just three weeks ago.  It might be a little harder to do with James Harrison out of the game,  but it won’t change the defensive gameplan much.  The Niners are starting to throw to their WRs more than the TEs, so the corners of the Steelers are going to be challenged.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 16, 49ERS 13

If Ben Roethlisberger can’t go on Monday Night against the 49ers, the Steelers will turn to 37-year old Charlie Batch at QB.  Batch has played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Steelers so far this year and he has thrown 2 incomplete passes and he has carried the ball 3 times for -2 yards (-0.7 ypc).  But, Batch has now played in 30 games (6 starts) in his seven years for the Steelers and he has completed 105 of 186 passes (56.5%) for 1,386 yards with 11 TD passes and 7 INTs (84.2 QB Rating).  Batch has also carried the ball 47 times for 77 yards (1.6 ypc) with 1 TD run with the Steelers.  The Steelers have confidence in Charlie Batch as he is 4-2 as their starting QB.

The Steelers have a big game this Monday Night at San Francisco and Ben Roethlisberger is looking iffy for that game with a high ankle sprain.  This would hurt the Steelers as there is a huge dropoff from Big Ben to backup Charlie Batch.  Roethlisberger has played in 13 games for the Steelers so far this year and he has completed 276 of 429 passes (64.3%) for 3,526 yards with 21 TD passes and 11 INTs (95.6 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 30 times for 70 yards (2.3 ypc) so far this year.  I have a feeling that Roethlisberger will try to play against the Niners, if at all possible.

The NFL has suspended 33-year old OLB James Harrison for 1 game for his cheap shot on QB Colt McCoy of the Browns.  He is appealing the suspension so that he might get to play against the 49ers in San Francisco next Monday.  Harrison will likely try to serve his suspension on Christmas Eve against the Rams in Pittsburgh.  Harrison has played in 9 games for the Steelers so far this year and he has 52 tackles, 8 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 4 tackles for a loss.  The Steelers will turn to 23-year old Jason Worilds at OLB when Harrison serves his suspension.  Worilds will do a good job for the Steelers.  He has played in 9 games for the Steelers so far this year and he has 26 tackles, 3 sacks and 1 forced fumble.