This is a big game for the Steelers because the Cardinals are the last creampuff they play for a while.  The Steelers have won two games in a row, but they go back on the road where they are 1-2 on the season.  Cardinals’ head coach Ken Whisenhunt and his coaching staff know a lot more about the Steelers’ than any coaching staff in the league, so the Steelers can’t overlook them.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers are going to attempt to run the ball a lot this weekend with Rashard Mendenhall against a Cardinals’ D that is allowing 118.8 yards rushing per game but only 3.9 yards per carry.  If the O-Line can give Ben Roethlisberger time to throw the ball (and they should against the Cardinals), he could have a really solid game tomorrow afternoon.  The Cardinals are giving up 258.2 yards passing per game so far this year, so Mike Wallace, Hines Ward and Antonio Brown could be in for big games this weekend.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals are a pass first team, but they need to protect Kevin Kolb if they are going to have any success throwing the ball.  The Steelers are going to be a blitz heavy bunch tomorrow in an effort to force Kolb into making some mistakes with the ball.  The Steelers will likely double cover Larry Fitzgerald and dare Kolb to beat them by throwing to someone else.  Chris “Beanie” Wells is likely to give the Steelers’ fits in this game as they are giving up 112.8 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry so far this year.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 30, CARDINALS 13

The Steelers appear to be back on the right track after demolishing the Titans last weekend at Heinz Field.  The Steelers get another home game this weekend against the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars, who have been outscored 48-13 in their two road losses this year.  The Steelers are 2-0 at home this year and they have outscored the competition by a combined score of 62-17.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers are going to come out throwing the ball against the Jaguars.  The Jaguars only have 8 sacks so far this year, so Ben Roethlisberger might actually have some time to throw the ball this weekend.  Look for “Big Ben” to spread the ball around to Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, Antonio Brown and Heath Miller in the passing game to keep everyone healthy.  Rashard Mendenhall is back this weekend but the Steelers should watch his workload in his first game back from injury.  That means and Johnathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman should each get a few touches this weekend.

When the Jaguars have the ball:  The Steelers have not defended the running game too well this year, so the Jaguars are likely to give the ball to Maurice Jones-Drew a lot in this game.  He is likely to get the undivided attention of the Steelers’ front seven this Sunday.  Rookie QB Blaine Gabbert has been sacked 9 times already this year, so look for the Steelers to come out of the locker room blitzing in an effort to force him into making some mistakes with the football.  Gabbert has been throwing the ball down the field to WRs Jason Hill and Mike Thomas, so the Steelers’ corners need to step up this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 24, JAGUARS 6

The Steelers are a beat up team right now as they have a lot of injuries on both sides of the football.  They hope that coming home will amp up the team a little bit.  The Titans have won three games in a row by a combined score of 74-40!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers are likely to come out throwing the ball this Sunday.  That will be easier said than done as the Steelers’ O-Line flat out sucks.  The Steelers are averaging only 3.7 yards per carry so far this year on the ground and Ben Roethlisberger as already been sacked 14 times this year.  The Titans already have 10 sacks so far this year and a very big time secondary full of ballhawks.  That is a bad combo for the Steelers right now.  Roethlisberger has already lost 4 fumbles and he has thrown five interceptions in the first four games for the Steelers as he has been a turnover machine.  He will have to get rid of the ball quickly to have any success throwing the ball this Sunday.  The Titans are only giving up 87.8 yards rushing per game and 3.2 yards per carry so far this year, so don’t expect Isaac Redman to go off this Sunday.

When the Titans have the ball:  The Titans are likely going to attack the run defense of the Steelers this Sunday with Chris Johnson.  The Steelers are giving up 119.5 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry, so Johnson might just have his biggest game of the season for the Titans this Sunday.  The Steelers don’t have any interceptions so far this year and Matt Hasselbeck has only been sacked 4 times this year, so he should be effective throwing the ball.  Watch out for ex-Steelers’ WR Nate Washington, who is really going to want to stick it to his old team.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 24, STEELERS 14

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

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

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

These two teams really hate each other and they always have very violent football games.  Expect another slobberknocker in the season opener this Sunday in Baltimore.  The teams split last year with each team winning on the other teams’ field during the regular season.  The Steelers could only muster 498 total yards of offense in the two games during the regular season against the Ravens.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers hope that the offensive line can open up some running lanes for Rashard Mendenhall this Sunday, but it’s not going to be easy.  Mendenhall carried the ball 43 times for 145 yards (3.4 ypc) with 2 TD runs against the Ravens during the regular season in 2010.  The Steelers have to run the ball a lot to keep the offense balanced.  That’s because the Ravens’ D is going to be rushing a lot off the edge to get to Ben Roethlisberger.  The Steelers’ O-Line has had huge problems blocking OLB/DE Terrell Suggs, who seems to be always living in the Steelers’ backfield.  They need to contain him or Roethlisberger might make some mistakes.  The Ravens’ weakness coming into this season is at CB.  So look for Big Ben to try to target Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Hines Ward quite often in this game.

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Steelers usually handle Ray Rice with ease.  Casey Hampton, James Farrior and Lawrence Timmons will likely be chasing down Rice on Sunday.  He only had 52 yards rushing on 17 carries (3.1 ypc) and he caught only 3 passes for 27 yards (9.0 avg) against the Steelers last year.  The Steelers also better be ready for Ricky Williams, who gives their offense a different look.  With Todd Heap no longer in Purple, the safeties will be able to help out the corners more over the top against Lee Evans and Anquan Boldin.  OLBs James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley are going to be after Joe Flacco all day long trying to get him to rush his passes and make a bad throw or two.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 16, RAVENS 13

This is going to be a good ole fashioned slobber knocker on Heinz Field tomorrow.  The Steelers are going to have to jump on the Jets quick in this game because they have confidence going into tomorrow.  They already beat the Steelers on Heinz Field (22-17) just five weeks ago.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers will likely try to be more balanced on offense than usual.  That means that Rashard Mendenhall is going to have to attack the front seven of the Jets.  That will be easier said than down as Jets’ ILBs  Bart Scott & David Harris are two of the best in the league.  The Steelers’ O-Line is going to have to keep Ben Roethlisberger clean so that he can make good decisions.  Because, if Roethlisberger is rushed…..he’s going to make some big mistakes as there is little room for error against the outstanding secondary of the Jets.  Don’t be surprised if Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders and Heath Miller are the Steelers’ top receivers tomorrow as Mike Wallace and Hines Ward are going to have to deal with Darrelle Revis & Antonio Cromartie all night long.

When the Jets have the ball:  The Steelers are going to have to stop LaDainian Tomlinson & Shonn Greene’s running better than they did in the first matchup just five weeks ago.  If the Jets have success running the ball it’s going to make things much easier for Mark Sanchez.  LaMarr Woodley & James Harrison can rush Sanchez into mistakes if the Jets’ O-Line can’t keep them out of the backfield.  But, if Sanchez has time to throw the ball he’s going to make plays down the field against the overrated corners of the Steelers.

PREDICTION:  JETS 17, STEELERS 16

Forget all of the other playoff games as this is going to be Armageddon at Heinz Field tomorrow afternoon.  These two teams absolutely hate each other and the game is going to be brutal.  The Ravens won on October 3rd at Heinz Field 17-14 but that was without Roethlisberger.  The Ravens broke Roethlisberger’s nose on the first play of the second matchup of these teams in Baltimore which was won by the Steelers 13-10 in Baltimore.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers would like to be balanced tomorrow but I just can’t see them mounting much of a running game against the Ravens’ front seven.  Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 124 yards in two games against the Ravens this year but he only averaged 2.8 yards per carry.  OTs Flozell Adams and Jonathan Scott better be able to keep OLBs Jarret Johnson & Terrell Suggs out of the backfield or Ben Roethlisberger could be in for a very long day.  If Roethlisberger has time to throw the ball the Ravens don’t have anyone that can keep up with Mike Wallace but Roethlisberger will have to be careful because Ed Reed is just as good of a safety as Troy Polamalu is.  Hines Ward and Heath Miller are likely to be keys to the Steelers’ passing game because I just don’t see Roethlisberger having a lot of time to throw the ball tomorrow.

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Steelers hope their front seven will be able to handle stopping Ray Rice and Willis McGahee without help from the secondary.  The Steelers are going to want to get after Joe Flacco, because if he has time to throw the ball he’s likely going to make some nice throws down the field.  OLBs James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley need to win their battles with OTs Marshal Yanda and Michael Oher or the Steelers are going to be in some trouble.  That’s because Joe Flacco has a very deep and talented receiving corps in Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Todd Heap.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 20, STEELERS 16

It’s pretty simple for the Steelers….if they win tomorrow against the Browns they will be the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs and earn a bye next weekend.  But, if they lose and the Ravens and Chiefs win tomorrow, the Steelers would be the #6 seed in the playoffs and have to play all road games.  The Browns are playing for pride right now and they would love to screw up things for the Steelers like they did when they beat the Steelers 13-6 last December.  The Steelers won the first meeting 28-10 in Pittsburgh in rookie QB Colt McCoy’s first start for the Browns.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Steelers have the ball:  The Steelers would probably be smart to have a conservative game plan tomorrow.  They should feed the rock to Rashard  Mendenhall against a Browns’ D that is allowing 131.3 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry so far this year.  Ben Roethlisberger will get his shots against a Browns’ secondary that now has 19 interceptions this year.  Their pass defense is way better than it was the first time the Steelers played the Browns.  He should have enough time to throw the ball so look for Roethlisberger to take his share of shots down the field to Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders.  Hines Ward and Heath Miller will likely handle the dirty work over the middle of the field tomorrow.

When the Browns have the ball:  The Steelers are going to need to get a good pass rush on Colt McCoy or he’s going to make some plays down the field.  His WRs are starting to play better but TE Ben Watson is his favorite target in the passing game so the Steelers’ safeties had better be ready to deal with him as he is a big man.  Peyton Hillis will likely get the start at RB for the Browns but he’s a tad banged up.  I look for the Browns to get Josh Cribbs out of mothballs offensively as he hurt the Steelers bad last season in Cleveland running the Wildcat Formation.

PREDICTION:  STEELERS 23, BROWNS 20