First of all, Happy New Year! I think the Steelers should make a resolution to win a Super Bowl.
This game is just like the Panthers game. The Steelers must win (well, really, it would just be very nice if they won), they can win, and they should win. I think that they will win, but I'm not sure if it's going to be a tight game or a blowout.
The Browns have nothing left to play for -- maybe not even next season -- and the Steelers still have a reason to win this game. But, Cleveland hates Pittsburgh and it's a bigger rivalry for them than it is for the Steelers, so that's always dangerous. But, the Browns can't really claim that they're spoilers, because the season isn't on the line for the Steelers. As I mentioned before, this team is going to the playoffs, so it's not like they'd miss out on the playoffs if they didn't win.
I think the Steelers can score 17 points in this game even if the offense isn't working. That means that the Browns will need to score 20 points to win and I don't think they can do that. They won't be able to run the ball unless they roll out six offensive linemen -- which they could possibly do, since they've done the unbalanced line thing before -- which means that Colt McCoy is going to need to carry a big load on offense for them to score. I don't think that's something he can't do -- I really do like McCoy and I think he's going to be a good quarterback -- I just think it's something he won't do. Cleveland just doesn't have much talent on offense and they need to get the running game going to move the ball and score. Since I don't think they'll be able to get the running game going, I don't think they'll be able to score enough.
I also keep thinking back to 2005, where the Steelers destroyed the Browns 41-0 in Cleveland on their way to winning Super Bowl XL. I think that could very well happen on Sunday, especially if the Steelers get off to a fast start. If that happens, you have a situation like what happened against Carolina. The Browns players will just want to get off the field, sit on a heated bench, and think about the trips they're going to take in the offseason. In that situation, the game could get ugly, which would be awesome.
The less awesome eventuality would be a Steelers loss and a hated Ravens win. That would make Baltimore the #2 seed and push the Steelers all the way down to #5, with the possibility of them falling to #6 if the Jets also win. But, I keep thinking about something...
If the hated Ravens, Patriots, Chiefs, and Jets all win and the Steelers lose, that would make the Steelers the #6 seed. They would then have to play all their games on the road, traveling to Kansas City (a team that has been down on its luck the last few years and surprised a lot of people by winning their division and finishing 11-5), then knowing if they win that game they have to face New England on the road (a 14-2 juggernaut with a fantastic quarterback that crushed the Steelers in November). That sounds an awful lot like 2005, right? I feel the need to remind you that the Steelers faced those same long odds in 2005 and wound up winning three playoff games in a row on their way to a victory in Super Bowl XL (yes, the Steelers won that, but I may have mentioned that at some point before).
So, it's not the end of the world if the Steelers don't win on Sunday, but it would be really nice if they do. That would get them a home playoff game and a bye. The bye is the bigger thing in my mind because Roethlisberger and Troy need some rest if the Steelers are going to make a deep playoff run.
Prediction:
Steelers 34, Browns 3
No comments:
Post a Comment