By Bob
Labriola
Steelers.com
Here are some of the interesting
match-ups to watch during the Monday night game between the Steelers and the San
Diego Chargers:
STEELERS OLBs JOEY PORTER AND JAMES
HARRISON VS. CHARGERS OTs ROMAN OBEN AND
SHANE OLIVEA: During
San
Diego’s two-game winning streak, Drew
Brees completed 38-of-46 passes (82.6 percent) for
439 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in those games. His passer
rating during the winning streak is 135.4; for the season, it’s 99.2, which
ranks him fourth in the NFL. If Brees has time, he has enough weapons at his
disposal to make the Steelers defense miserable. Again, pressure is going to be
paramount if the Steelers are going to be able to disrupt the Chargers pass
attack. Oben is a crafty veteran, but he’s also 33; Olivea is a second-year pro
who entered the league as a seventh-round pick from
Ohio
State. Porter has two sacks
and two pressures so far, and Harrison has one sack in
limited playing time. The pass rush will come down to more than just these two
guys for the Steelers, but there’s also no denying the critical role the OLBs
play in helping to generate it.
STEELERS SS
TROY POLAMALU VS. CHARGERS
TE ANTONIO GATES: This is why the
Steelers traded up in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft to pick Polamalu,
for games like this against a tight end like Gates. Again, dealing with Gates is
going to be more than a one-man job for the Steelers, but no one on the defense
has the combination of speed, strength and athleticism it’s going to take to
cover a guy who once was a very good power forward for a very good college
basketball team and now is an All-Pro in the NFL.
STEELERS LT MARVEL
SMITH VS. CHARGERS OLB STEVE FOLEY: Like the Steelers,
the Chargers play a 3-4 defense; unlike the Steelers, the Chargers depend more
on one guy – Foley – for sacks. Last year Foley posted a double-digit sack
season, and he gets it done with speed and quickness. Through four games of
2005, Foley has two sacks. The Steelers offensive line played below its own
standards against the Patriots, and the pride of the individuals along that line
should manifest itself on Monday night. Smith is a solid technician, and that
will be important going against Foley.
STEELERS C JEFF
HARTINGS VS. CHARGERS NT JAMAL WILLIAMS: If the Smith vs. Foley
match-up is representative of what the Steelers offensive line needs to get
accomplished for the passing game to click, this match-up is representative of
what the line needs to get done if the running game is to be successful.
Williams deserved to be in the Pro Bowl last year but didn’t get the votes from
his peers around the league; Hartings not only was voted to the Pro Bowl, but he
also was the All-Pro center on the Associated Press’ team. Sometimes the job of
controlling the opponent’s offense comes down to keeping it off the field. The
Steelers have to be able to sustain drives and give their defense a rest if they
hope to defeat the Chargers.
STEELERS QB BEN
ROETHLISBERGER VS. CHARGERS CBs QUENTIN JAMMER AND DRAYTON
FLORENCE: Running the ball and
controlling the clock isn’t going to be good enough against
San
Diego. The Steelers are
going to have to score, and it better be touchdowns and not field goals.
Opposing quarterbacks are completing 62.3 percent of their passes against the
Chargers, and they rank 20th or worse in passing yards allowed,
completion percentage allowed, interceptions and third-down conversion allowed.
Clearly, there are big plays to be made against San Diego’s pass defense, and
Roethlisberger will need to be decisive about where to go with the football and
then accurate with it. This could be one of those games where the Steelers
offense is going to have to out-score the opponent in order for the team to
win.
