Steelers vs. Browns Preview
After a long, injury-filled season, we’ve finally come to the end. The Steelers face the Cleveland Browns in the final game of the regular season, and the AFC North title may be on the line.
The Steelers enter the game tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the lead in the AFC North. However, because the Ravens swept the Steelers this season, the Ravens own the tie-breaker and will win the division if the two teams end up in a tie. Fortunately, the Cincinnati Bengals are also fighting for a spot in the playoffs, and they face the Ravens on Sunday.
Baltimore is 3-4 on the road this season. They’re undefeated at home, but have struggled on the road. Moreover, they’ve struggled in Cincinnati. The Bengals have beaten the Ravens in 5 of their last 6 games in Cincinnati.
Of course, none of that will matter if the Steelers don’t take care of business against the Browns. The Steelers MUST win on Sunday.
If the Steelers win, and the Ravens lose, the Steelers would grab the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs. And if the New England Patriots were to lose, the Steelers would actually clinch the #1 seed in the AFC.
The question on most Steelers fans’ minds is probably, “Will Ben Roethlisberger play?” Big Ben didn’t play against the St. Louis Rams, as Charlie Batch led the Steelers to a 27-0 win. Many fans believe the Steelers can beat the Browns with Batch at the helm, and that Roethlisberger should rest his sprained ankle before the playoffs.
Coach Tomlin hasn’t announced his plans yet. However, Big Ben has made it clear that he wants to play. Steelers fans know that Roethlisberger ALWAYS wants to play. He hates sitting out, regardless of the circumstances.
Regardless of who starts at quarterback, the Steelers still have to win. That much is clear.
Other Steelers news
The Steelers players selected second year wide receiver Antonio Brown as the Team’s MVP. Brown set a team record for all-purpose yards and was voted to the Pro Bowl this week as a return man.
Good for Brown, he deserves it.
I think I saw Ben listed as probable. They will probably play him unless they start blowing out the Browns, The Ravens get blown out or are blowing out the Bengals. I still say rest him, but I don’t think it’s likely.
1This is the Steelers game if they play like they can, but he Browns shouldn’t be underrated. The Browns have a good passing defense, and they won’t be a cakewalk. The Steelers need to be completely focused on the Browns and forget about Cincinatti to be sure they take care of their end of the deal.
As a fan, though, I’m free to forget about the stupid Browns and focus on the more interesting matchup between Baltimore and Cincinatti. The oddsmakers are calling this one about even, but I think Cincy has the advantage. Not only is home field advantage reversed from their last tilt, but the injury bug has turned as well. The Bengals really only have one play maker, AJ Green, who was out for the last contest. The Ravens gave up a 152 yds to Jerome Simpson even without any other receiving threat on the field. If they couldn’t handle the Bengals #2 WR by himself, they’re definitely going to have their work cut out containing the #1 and #2.
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens will be without Anquan Boldin. Boldin is far from the team’s only weapon, but his absence leaves the leaves the Cincinatti defense free to double team Torrey Smith all day long. Good luck, rook. This means the Ravens will have to depend even more on Ray Rice, who had a big day in their last meeting with the Bengals. This time, they’ll be without Marshall Yanda, though, and won’t have the depth at WR to threaten downfield and prevent Cincy from frequently stacking 8 men in the box.
2The smart move would be to come out with a game plan to score quickly with Ben behind center assuming he is well enough and then rest him the second half. If Tomlin is true to form, however, he’ll keep Ben in until the end even if its a blowout.
3