The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Detroit Lions in Week 10 with a chance to push this winning streak to the next level. Ahead of kickoff, there's five burning questions to ask.
Will T.J. Hockenson Get the Darren Waller Treatment?
The Steelers defense has done a really nice job neutralizing their opponent's best players all year so far.
Way back in Week 2, they were able to hold Raiders star tight end, Darren Waller to 65 yards while also keeping him out of the end zone. It's worth noting that 25 of those yards came on one single play, as well. This Lions team is devoid of playmakers on the outside, leaving their young tight end from Iowa as their go-to guy in the passing game.
Hockenson is a complete tight end that has proven that he can be a handful to deal with in coverage. Coming off a game in which he caught ten passes for 89 yards, the Steelers will almost assuredly pay plenty of attention to the former Hawkeye.
Expect to see Edmunds, Schobert and Bush all get their chance to square up against the 6'5 Hockenson. It also would not surprise me if Keith Butler chose to bracket him on money downs and inside the red zone, too. They just have to be careful not to devote too much attention to him or else they may end up giving up an explosive play elsewhere, similar to what happened in week two's matchup with the Raiders.
How Much Arthur Maulet is Too Much?
Fans were up in arms after Maulet was the closest defender on the two biggest plays of last week's game against the Chicago Bears, the deep bomb to Allen Robinson followed by the go-ahead touchdown to Darnell Mooney.
To be fair, I'm not sure that Maulet could have done anything differently on the deep ball as there was clear miscommunication on the play in the secondary. Truthfully, the better question would be for Keith Butler regarding why Maulet was on the field in those situations in the first place.
The scouting report on Maulet is fairly straightforward - keep him near the line of scrimmage working downhill and he proves his worth doing the dirty work off in the slot. If you ask him to cover down the field, especially against receivers with the resume that guys like Allen Robinson possess, you're asking for trouble because that's not his game.
If the Steelers get ahead of Detroit this Sunday, forcing them to abandon the run game, the hope is that you'll see more James Pierre and Tre Norwood snaps to better counter the pass.
What Will Distribution be Without Chase Claypool?
Chase Claypool is reportedly considered week-to-week with a toe injury, leaving Matt Canada without his starting Z receiver. James Washington has been in the system for a number of years now, as he's been serving as the backup at this spot the entire season.
Washington will get the start on Sunday and will get the chance to display his field-stretching talents with an additional workload. Ray-Ray McCloud has been unable to provide much support in relief of JuJu Smith-Schuster despite leading the Steelers in slot receiver snaps recently. He also lost a costly fumble on Monday night, albeit on special teams.
Cody White has been used sparingly in his time on the 53-man roster. Which brings us to former Chicago Bear Anthony Miller. Miller has shown the ability to be a productive NFL receiver at times throughout his career, but he's never been able to display enough consistency to carve out a significant role.
We will see if the Steelers elect to call former Memphis Tiger up to the active roster prior to Sunday evening's matchup with a struggling Lions pass defense.
Can the Pittsburgh Steelers Win the AFC North?
Following the Baltimore Ravens' devastating loss to the now 3-7 Miami Dolphins, FiveThirtyEight's model currently gives the Pittsburgh Steelers a 43% chance to make the playoffs but just a 20% chance to win the division, thus clinching a home playoff game.
A win on Sunday against the Lions would put the Steelers in first place at the midway point of the season, a feat that seemed impossible a month ago. Even so, 6-3 doesn't seem to really move the needle for the simulator.
With a win, their model bumps the Steelers playoff chances to 47% and their chances to win the AFC North to 23%. It's important to note, however, that the Pittsburgh Steelers still get two matchups with the Ravens over the second half of the season, which will certainly go a long way in determining who comes away with the crown. Also, it's worth noting that the Steelers defense plays Lamar Jackson better than anyone else seems to, as they've forced him into more turnovers (7) than touchdowns (3) in two starts.
Should Big Ben be in the Conversation for Most Clutch QB of All-Time?
Simply put, yes. While Monday night's game-winning drive against the Bears was far from his most exhilarating, the 18-year veteran once again proved that despite his diminishing physical abilities, he's still got ice in his veins.
Roethlisberger became the 4th NFL quarterback of all time to notch 50 career game-winning drives in the regular season, trailing only Peyton Manning (54) and Drew Brees (53). It's a difficult question to answer, but whatever criteria that you decide to use, Roethlisberger stacks up as well as anybody.
After all, the two-time Super Bowl champ has shown the ability to come through on every stage. He's got the volume (50), he's got the classic rivalry games (nine game-winning drives against Baltimore is an NFL record against any single team), he's done it in the playoffs (4) and he's done it on the biggest stage in sports- the Super Bowl.
There's no debate that his game-winning drive to win Super Bowl 43 is one of the most iconic in NFL history. When talking about the all-time clutch gunslingers, Roethlisberger is without a doubt in that conversation.
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November 13, 2021 at 10:56PM
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Five Burning Questions: Steelers vs. Lions - Sports Illustrated
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