The Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6) playoff hopes are floating away as they were shocked by the Oakland Raiders (4-8) on Sunday.  The Steelers have now lost to two of the worst teams in the NFL with their loss to the Raiders and the Chiefs.  They gave up 21 points in the 4th quarter and blew a 4-point lead with less than 2 minutes to go.  The Steelers offense wasn’t terrible, and it looked like they did enough to win when Roethlisberger hit Hines Ward for an 11 yard touchdown pass with 1:56 left in the game.  Roethlisberger finished with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception while passing for 278 yards on 18/24 attempts.

The Steelers defense did not get the job done, and it was pretty embarrassing to let Bruce Gradkowski pass for 308 yards and 3 touchdowns on 20/33 passes.  They also let them rush for 109 yards as a team.  The Steelers defense made the Raiders look like a good football team, which they are not.  The Raiders were averaging less then 10 points per game going into this, so this was a very big letdown by the Steelers.  They really need to make some major adjustments if they want any chance of making the playoffs.

Ben Roethlisberger is back for the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5) this week on the road against the Oakland Raiders (3-8).  The Steelers really need to win this game and they shouldn’t have a problem doing that, especially since Big Ben is back.  Ben should do most of his work handing the ball off though, as the Raiders give up 161 rushing yards per game.  Rashard Mendenhall should be able to carry the load for the Steelers offense and I expect a big game out of him.

The Steelers defense has not been playing very well at the end of games, but hopefully for the Steelers’ sake they can build a big enough lead that it wont matter.  Bruce Gradkowski is the starting quarterback for the Raiders and he has a 66.3 QB rating this season so the Steelers defense should be able to contain him and the Raiders pathetic passing game.  Justin Fargas is the running back, and I think the Steelers stellar run-defense will shut him down.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Pittsburgh Steelers 28, Oakland Raiders 7

The Pittsburgh Steelers (6-4) may be in trouble Sunday against the Balitmore Ravens (5-5), as it looks like quarterback Ben Roethlisberger may not play.  Roethlisberger suffered a concussion last week, and although earlier in the week Big Ben was listed as probable and expected to play, he told head coach Mike Tomlin Friday that he might sit out “as a precaution” and is listed as questionable.  Now he still might play, but I don’t think that would be a good idea, especially with what they know about concussions in this day and age.  You don’t want one game of football to cause brain damage later in life.  I don’t think there should be any question that Roethlisberger sits this one out, but unfortunately for the Steelers that means Dennis Dixon will be the starter and it will probably cost them the game.  Dixon has only thrown one pass in his career and there is no way he is ready to take on a Ray Lewis led Ravens’ defense.  That means Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall will have to have big games, along with the defense, if the Steelers want a chance.

The Steelers defense has been doing a great job shutting down the run this season, so Ray Rice and Willis McGahee should not be too much of a problem for them.  If they can contain Joe Flacco and the Ravens’ passing game they have a shot in this one.  Flacco has been struggling lately and has not thrown a touchdown pass since week 8, so the defense may very well win this game for the Steelers.  Flacco is still a good quarterback though, and with such an inexperienced quarterback on the Steelers’ side I am favoring the Ravens in this game.  If it so happens that Roethlisberger plays, which he very well might do, it could be a whole different story.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Pittsburgh Steelers 13, Baltimore Ravens 20

The Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) are taking on the Denver Broncos (6-1) this week on the road.  This should be a defensive battle, with both teams having a very strong defense.  Ben Roethlisberger should do his best and controlling the clock and the ball and the Steelers will have a good shot at winning.  They will need Mendenhall and Parker to do some damage on the ground, as Big Ben wont be able to have a big passing day against the Broncos defense who only gives up 180 passing yards per game.

On defense, the Steelers need to try and force Orton out the pocket and into some mistakes.  Orton has done a great job taking care of the ball this year, but he is still just an average quarterback in a great system and the Steelers should try and prove that.  Moreno and Buckhalter are the biggest part of the Broncos offense, so they need to shut the running game down.  It will be a very difficult task though, as Orton can open things up by going to Brandon Marshall who is having a good year at receiver.  This will be close, but I think the Broncos will edge out the Steelers late.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Pittsburgh Steelers 24, Denver Broncos 28

The Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2) have now lost two straight games and will not have an easy opponent when they host the San Diego Chargers (2-1) this week.  The two straight losses for the Steelers both came on the road, so hopefully for Steelers fans Heinz Field will put a spark into the defending champs.  The Chargers have a strong passing attack behind Phillip Rivers, but their running game has struggled so far this year with LaDainian Tomlinson battling injuries and Darron Sproles only averaging 2.4 yards per carry.  The Steelers’ running game is nothing to brag about either though, as they are only averaging 81 rushing yards per game.

This could be the game the Steelers running game breaks out though, as the Chargers are giving up 142 rushing yards per game.  Even though Willie Parker is most likely out with turf toe, Rashard Mendenhall could finally have a good game for the Steelers this year.  He has not gotten much of chance so far, as he has only seven carries this season for 45 yards (6.4 avg).  The Chargers have a good secondary though, so the Steelers need to make sure Mendenhall can get going on the ground.  Someone besides Ben Roethlisberger should get a red zone rushing touchdown, as Big Ben now has two in the past two games.

Big Ben has a very good completion percentage so far this season (72%) but he has only thrown three touchdowns in three games.  He has more interceptions (four) than touchdowns and has made some poor decisions at times.  Roethlisberger needs a good running game or he struggles.  Without a strong running attack leading the way, Roethlisberger is a mediocre quarterback and that has shown so far this season.  A strong running game and good defense is how the Steelers were successful last year and they need to try and bring that back.

With the Chargers weak run-defense I think the Steelers will be able to get back to their successful style of play.  LaDainian Tomlinson is back from injury and says he is 100%, but I don’t think he is full strength.  The Steelers should not have too much of a problem containing LT and Sproles, but Philip Rivers’ arm can make some big plays.  The Steelers need to contain the Chargers passing game.  This will be a good, hard fought football game and I think the Steelers will be able to win it late.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Steelers 28, Chargers 24

The Pittsburgh Steelers are looking to build on their week one 13-10 overtime victory against the Tennessee Titans as they take on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago.  The Steelers will be missing their defensive leader in safety Troy Polamalu but the Bears are also without their star defender Brian Urlacher.  Polamalu is out six weeks with an MCL injury and Urlacher is out for the year with a dislocated wrist.  Outside linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer will be replacing Urlacher at the middle linebacker position and the Steelers will have Tyrone Carter filling in at safety for Polamalu.

The Steelers did a horrible job of establishing the run last week in their win over Tennessee as Rashard Mendenhall and Willie Parker had 17 carries combined.  Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw the ball 43 times for 363 yards, but it was only because the running game could not get going at all for the Steelers.  They are not going to win very many games with Roethlisberger throwing the ball 43 times, so look for the Steelers to try and attack the depleted linebackers of the Chicago Bears.  Hillenmeyer is a very effective outside linebacker and is a good tackler, but he is not a middle linebacker and doesn’t have the strength and speed that Urlacher brings to the position.  The Steelers should attack the heart of the Bears defense with the run and try to get Mendenhall and Parker way more than 17 carries combined.

Do not expect the Jay Cutler you saw in week one, as he threw three of his career high four interceptions in the first half.  The Bears offense settled down and was effective in the second half against the Packers and I’m expecting the Bears to attack the Steelers secondary, especially without the blitz of Polamalu as well as his strong coverage skills.  Tyrone Carter will be making only the 11th start of his ten year career, so there will be a huge drop-off for the Steelers at the safety position.  Hopefully for the Steelers Carter can handle some of the speedy Chicago receivers, particularly Devin Hester.  He and Cutler hooked up on a 36-yard touchdown against the Packers with Hester burning past the Packers’ secondary.

I think due to the lack of a running game the Steelers showed in week one, combined with the loss of Polamalu, the Steelers are going to have their hands full.  You will not see the Chicago Bears offense you saw in week one and I think the Bears will be able to edge out a victory on a late field goal.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Bears 27, Steelers 24

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be playing host to the Tennessee Titans at Heinz field 8:30 pm ET Thursday night, as it kicks off the 2009 NFL season.  The Steelers have a lot to live up to this season, as they try to defend their Super Bowl Championship.  The only thing the Steelers can hope to top from last year’s success is getting the number one seed in the AFC playoffs.

The Tennessee Titans were able to steal the number one seed from the Steelers last year, as they stomped the Steelers 31-14 in their week 16 match-up. This opening game is a rematch of that week 16 debacle, and the Steelers will be looking to send a message right away and show the Titans why they were the Super Bowl XLIII champions.  However, it seems the offenses are always a little behind the defenses early in the season, so it will most likely be a defensive battle.

The Steelers might be able to run some points up behind their strong running attack of Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall, especially since the Titans no longer have their anchor in defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.  The Titans aging quarterback, Kerry Collins, will look to hook up with former Steelers wide receiver Nate Washington.  This game will probably be a defensive battle and although the Titans still have a solid defense, it is not as solid as it was last year.  Look for the Steelers to win a rough and probably sloppy opening game with my prediction being a 16-10 victory for the Steelers.  Check out blogger Smash’s detailed preview of this opening match-up at the main locker – www.bloglockers.com

Despite having a very tough schedule I would have to take the over.  As long as Ben Roethlisberger is the starting QB I have a feeling the Steelers will always win 9 or more games.  Take the over and start figuring out how to spend all of the cash.

The Steelers were made to comply with the lousy “Rooney Rule” in hiring Mike Tomlin and they will pay for it.  Tomlin is not ready to be a head coach in the NFL and that will show on the field.  Bypassing Russ Grimm and Ken Whisenhunt will hurt the Steelers both on and off of the field.  In fact, I’m certain that the date with the Steelers in a couple weeks is circled on their calendars.  The Steelers trademarks have been having a good defense and a good offensive line but they will have neither this season.  They also will need Ben Roethlisberger to use his head more this season.  Bet the under if you need some money as the Steelers are only winning 6-8 games this season.

The over/under for Steelers wins is 10 1/2.  The Steelers are 12-1 to win the Super Bowl and 6-1 to win the AFC.

The suggestion here is to bet the under.  The Steelers have a tough schedule and the Bengals have Palmer back and the Ravens actually have an NFL QB.