NFL Preview: Pittsburgh @ Tampa Bay September 26, 2010
The scene is set for a grueling match on Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit the Tampa Bay Bucks. Both teams come into the game undefeated; Pittsburgh got here by defeating Atlanta in a close one and out-grinding Tennessee, while the Bucks took care of Cleveland and Carolina.
Neither of these teams will win any awards for offensive production. The Steelers, with their quarterback trio that is now a duo, have had an accordingly uneven passing attack. Batch will get the start against the Bucks, and he is 4-2 in such games. He still has the ever-reliable Hines Ward to throw to, and running back Rashard Mendenhall has been relatively productive, running for 189 yards on 45 carries so far this year. The Tampa Bay secondary is anchored by Ronde Barber, who is still going strong in 2010, with a pair of interceptions on the season already. Batch is going to have to spread the ball around, because Barber will be shadowing the equally aging Ward. A balanced attack should eventually wear down the Buck defense.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, hasn’t had much better production out of their quarterback, Josh Freeman. He’s gone 29 of 52 for 360 yards and four touchdowns so far this year. The yardage is mediocre, but he has put the ball in the end zone when it counted, with two of those touchdowns going to rookie receiver Mike Williams. Tight end Kellen Winslow has also contributed significantly to the Bucks’ offensive success. Freeman will be handing off to Cadillac Williams, who has gotten off to a good start in 2010, handling the ball often and showing signs of returning to his old form. However, he’ll need to keep the legs churning to run through the tough Steelers defensive line.
Overall, the fans in Tampa are probably in for a low-scoring struggle, which plays to the Steelers strengths. Tampa will need to establish the running game early and hope that Freeman can do enough in the passing game to keep the Steelers off balance. Meanwhile, the Steelers will have to hope for a solid start from Batch along with more stifling defense. In the end, the Steelers are likely to be the last team standing.
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