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| STEELERS | PIRATES | FORUM | PENGUINS | POLLS |
| Make or Break Game of the Year By A. D. This year the Steeler Nation should be thankful that the black and gold get one more day to prepare for their biggest game of the season. On Monday night the Steelers are going to showcase their talents and the country will see whether or not they can compete with the elite of the NFL. The Indianapolis Colts are so far undefeated. Quarterback Peyton Manning has found his groove and their defense is running like a well-oiled football machine. But don’t let the stats fool you, once the playoffs start every team is back to a 0-0 record. It was only last year when the football gods smiled upon the Steelers as they drove their way to a 15-1 regular season record with a rookie QB. Then came the playoffs and the team just fell apart. The Colts are also familiar with falling short of the Super Bowl. Manning is arguably the best quarterback in the NFL yet he has no rings to show for his impressive 8-year career. The two key targets for Manning are wide receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. In his tenth year with the Colts Harrison has caught 903 passes and is only 150 yards short of 12,000 career yards. Wayne is on pace to have over 1,000 yards receiving this year. His best year was in 2004 when he his average yards per catch was 15.7. These wide receivers are the basis for the outstanding throwing of Manning but the biggest threat for the Steelers comes from the backfield. Edgerrin James, the star running back of the Colts, and has rushed for over 100 yards in seven games. His lowest tally of the season has been 88 yards against Baltimore. In order for the Steelers to contain this potentially explosive offensive weapon is simply to continue what they have been doing all year long. The Steelers haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in the past 22 games and they aren’t about to start now, not when the playoffs are in sight. "We definitely got to stop him. That's our goal," linebacker Larry Foote said. Over the off season the Colts took it upon themselves to reinvent their defense which was seen as their only weakness. They added defensive tackle Corey Simon from the Philadelphia Eagles. In his five seasons with the Eagles Simon has 32 sacks but has recorded none for the Colts. Though the defense has been responsible for keeping the opposing team struggling for points, the Colts have won games because of the offense. The Steelers should bounce back from their disappointing overtime loss to the Ravens as both buck linebacker James Farrior and tackle Marvel Smith are returning to the lineup. On the defense of the Steelers linebacker Joey Porter has said, "We don't think anybody can match up with us on the physical aspect throughout a whole game. Some games we lost, but we always feel we can win the physical battle." In 2004 The Steelers, with then rookie first year QB Roethlisberger, beat two undefeated team, the New England Patriots and the Eagles. Going into this Monday’s nationally televised game against a team that has a two game advantage over the entire AFC is nothing new. Roethlisberger told the media how he thinks the game will play out by saying, “I think it will be fun.” |