via stlouisrams.com— Jeff Fisher—the man, the myth, the legend, the jinx?
Smoldering indeed! The Astroturf was more than smoldering at the Conflictus Interrumpo* Sunday. Let’s see if we can derive some light (and not merely heat) from Hombre de Acero’s questions…
Week 3 found the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road vs. the St. Louis Rams, and while the Steelers did escape with a 12-6 victory, their second road win vs. the Rams came at the price of an MCL injury to Ben Roethlisberger.
On a short week, the Steelers don’t have much time to feel sorry for themselves as the Ravens are up on Thursday night, which is fast approaching. But before that date arrives, here in this little corner of Steelers Nation, we’re left with these 5 Smoldering Questions on the Steelers to answer.
1. Going into the Rams game, the Steelers offensive line had only allowed two hits and five QB hits in weeks one and two. The Rams however registered five quarterback sacks and five QB hits, on a day when daylight in the running game was equally hard to come by.
What does the Ram’s game tell you about the state of the Steelers offensive line?
2. As a rule, the Hombre de Acero never answers his own questions. But last week he sought guidance here concerning Jeff Fisher’s winning record vs. the Steelers and got a variety of answers. Now its time to break a rule. Prior to Sunday’s game yours truly surmised that the Steelers Jeff Fisher Jinx could be explained in two words: Steve McNair.
The number seemed to back this supposition up. However, Ben Roethlisberger’s injury now has me asking if the Steelers Jeff Fisher Jinx isn’t for real. What say you?
3. Ben Roethlisberger has said that he doesn’t think Mark Barron’s hit was dirty but he does feel it was illegal. Credentialed journalists from Ed Bouchette to Jim Wexell concur. However, Mark Barron was not flagged for his hit, on the same Sunday that Cam Newton publically complained about being told he was “Too young” to get a personal foul call.
Steelers fans have long complained that quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rogers have gotten “extra protection from the guards” not afforded to quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger (or Michael Vick for that matter.)
What do you think of the issue in general, and do you think the no flag on the Roethlisberger hit offers evidenced that the NFL is indeed selective of the quarterbacks it protects?
4. The Baltimore Ravens are 0-3 for the first time in franchise history and are traveling on the road for a Thursday night game. Do you think Baltimore’s winless record makes them more dangerous, or do you think it means that the Ravens are simply ripe for the picking?
5. Numbers might not lie, but sometimes they do fail to tell the whole story. There are a lot of numbers you can associate with this Steelers-Ravens matchup.
- The Steelers are 2-4 vs. the Ravens without Roethlisberger.
- The Steelers are 15-8 vs. the Ravens at Heinz Field or Three Rivers Stadium.
- Michael Vick’s record as a starter vs the Ravens is 2-1, and 2-0 at home.
- The Steelers are 0-2 against Baltimore on Thursday Night.
- Going into 2015 the home team on short-week Thursday Night games wins 55.8% of the time.
So many statistics! Which set of numbers do you think hold the most relevance in assessing the Steelers chances vs. the Ravens on Thursday night?
There you go folks. Quiz rules are in effect. Please remember that the successful student will show his or her work and will most certainly read their neighbors’ papers.
*That, believe it or not, is genuine Latin. It could scarcely be more appropriate…