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