A late season bye could be exactly what the Pittsburgh Steelers desire to make a run at the AFC's top seed.

Tied with Houston within the AFC with seven wins, Pittsburgh Troy Polamalu Jersey has a very favorable schedule over the final 6 weeks of the season.

Coming from the bye week, the Steelers travel to Kansas City, in which the Chiefs is going to be without quarterback Matt Cassel. While Arrowhead is a tough stadium to experience in, Tyler Palko will probably be starting for Might, and that he strikes fear in no one.

They follow this up with back-to-back home games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.

Cincinnati turned out to be a formidable challenge, and they will once again try to prove themselves now against the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers will be rooting hard for the Bengals Troy Polamalu Jersey to give the Ravens their fourth loss.

After losing towards the Ravens twice this season, Pittsburgh will require Baltimore to drop a game title or two along with taking care of their own business.

If Pittsburgh can sweep Cincinnati, there is a short week to prepare for the Browns, who're the only real losing team in the AFC North.

The Thursday night game should easily favor the Steelers unless, obviously, there are high wind conditions. If you remember to 2009, Bruce Arians inexplicably had Ben Roethlisberger toss the ball 32 times in very windy conditions.

Pittsburgh would continue to get rid of farmville 13-6, eliminating them from playoff contention. Do not expect a make a mistake this year.

The advantage of the Thursday night game will be the Steelers have over a week to organize for the surprising Bay area 49ers.

Bay area is constantly on the impress each week behind an excellent ground attack and the top-rated rushing defense Troy Polamalu Jersey.

Pittsburgh will have to make use of the 49ers weak passing attack and pass defense. However, the cross-country trip can make mtss is a difficult contest.

There is a quick turnaround with a Saturday afternoon game from the St. Louis Rams, that is very winnable. Actually, playing in your own home against a very weak Rams team, the Steelers would have to completely look past these phones lose. On the other hand, a week a team can win.

Pittsburgh closes the season on New Year's day at Cleveland.

The final six opponents actually have a combined record of 26-28, with only Cincinnati and Bay area having winning records.

If Pittsburgh can win at least five of their six games, company, they all are very winnable, that will bring them to a 12-4 finish. The very best case scenario is obviously to win out and put them in excellent position heading into the playoffs.

By winning their remaining games, Pittsburgh would still need a minumum of one loss by Baltimore and one by Houston.

Baltimore expires and down and may lose any week. They have laid eggs this season against some very bad teams, also it wouldn't surprise me to determine that happen at least one additional time.

Meanwhile, the Texans are in a bad spot without quarterback Matt Schaub. They are able to get by using their ground attack and defense, but at some point, new quarterback Matt Leinart will need to have plays.

The end result is the Steelers Ben Roethlisberger Jersey will have to look after their business. The bye week should enable them to get LaMarr Woodley and Emmanuel Sanders back to health, in addition to provide their veterans with some time off before the final month and a half of year.

Keep an eye out if the Steelers get that top seed in the AFC. When they do, they will be primed for an additional Super Bowl run.

Only John Harbaugh might take a Gatorade bath after this one.

The Steelers stumbled, stutter-stepped and battled to put away an eminently willing Kansas City victim Sunday night at Arrowhead Stadium. It had been awful to watch on every level. But we also know right now the way it works out: Ben Roethlisberger keeps plugging away, the backups admirably step-up for injured starters, the defense helps make the big stop, and everybody exhales James Harrison Jersey.

Steelers 13, Chiefs 9.

Seriously, let me know you weren't nervous that Tyler Palko would go 70 yards there at the end.

You had been?

Hey, you can mail any complaints to the winners, proper care of "Best Team within the AFC."

Generally, sure, the Steelers were lousy. Roethlisberger and his receivers had little chemistry from long range. Rashard mendenhall found few holes against the NFL's No. 27-ranked defense. Mewelde Moore fumbled near the goal line. The offense never managed to get beyond the Chiefs` 39-yard line in the other half, for screaming loud. And the defense should have absolutely overwhelmed Palko, the first kind Pitt quarterback who upchucked passes that certain of his old WPIAL opponents might have picked off. Not really the Steelers' James Harrison Jersey three interceptions, including Keenan Lewis' leaping stab that killed the final Kansas City drive, felt like enough.

But debate style vs. substance all that's necessary. Bottom line is the Steelers' 8-3 record is tied for best within the conference with Baltimore, Houston and New England. As well as their destiny remains in their control, using their five remaining games including two against Cleveland, one against St. Louis.

Instead of agonizing over Sunday night, it can be more appropriate to ask this: Why don't the Steelers return to the Super Bowl?

Remember, the three opponents before this were New England, Baltimore and Cincinnati, the category of the remaining conference, and also the Steelers would have swept all three but for that 92-yard drive by Joe Flacco. They solved Tom Brady, outgained the Ravens and completed a rare 60-minute showing in Cincinnati.

What went down last night does not get excused by the rust of a bye week, but neither do the 3 games James Harrison Jersey before it get erased.

The Steelers aren't where they must be. That's painfully clear all over again. But sitting atop the conference with less than their best should speak volumes about this team's potential.

Listen to how safety Ryan Clark summed this up afterward in a largely satisfied locker room.

"It's just good to maintain winning," Clark said. "We put inside us lots of bad situations lots of weeks, but we keep coming on top. It's better to make corrections when you have Ws and not Ls. But we also know we have to play better. It appears as though, no matter who we play, we will make it a close game. I don't know if that's playing down to the competition or what."

He grinned and added, "But I know I like being 8-3."

Sounded like all of them did.

"Look, man, we're just trying to knock 'em out any way we are able to," nose tackle Casey Hampton said. "You know, whenever we get it all together, it will likely be scary."

Consider the resiliency the Steelers continue to show, and it is easy to believe him.

Have you see Roethlisberger flipping Might linebacker Jovan Belcher with that block?

How about Ryan Mundy's first career interception after Troy Polamalu went down with concussion symptoms?

Or Weslye Saunders' Lamarr Woodley Jersey first career touchdown that belied the usual elegance of a tight end?

Or Jason Worilds continuing to be a force in LaMarr Woodley's absence?

Or, on top of that, Lewis' climactic pick?

"I knew with the way they arranged, the ball would be coming my way," Lewis said. "I just needed to create a play."

And he did. That's what winning teams do even if they stink in the joint.

The Steelers already proved the things they can perform against New England's defense but will need to revamp their approach again because Bill Belichick doesn't let unexpected things happen exactly the same way twice. Their best bet would be to lean on deep passes making New England's corners chase Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.

I also believe that PittsburghBen Roethlisberger Jersey might be effective on the floor here. The overall game on offense against New England is to always go ahead and take ball out of Tom Brady's hands provided possible. That's the way you beat the Patriots.
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Defense vs. Pittsburgh

The Baltimore defense were built with a lot more challenge with the Steelers within their second game with Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger could be effective and obtain the ball to his receivers regularly making sufficient plays to put the Steelers in place to win.

The running game wouldn't be big from the Ravens, but play-action may be. The Ravens like to rush the passer continually within the same fashion because the Steelers, so attempting to fake them and freeze them is a good ploy. Also, throwing in to the blitz is definitely the ideal choice. The Baltimore secondary is passable, but doesn't have a genuine weapon beyond Ed Reed right now.

Offense vs. Pittsburgh

The only method to beat the Ravens will be to stop playing the soft-zone coverage, particularly on third down. Pressing the Ravens receivers and keeping them against man coverage will force Joe Flacco to throw into tighter windows. He hasn't shown a lot of stomach for that, and that he makes more mistakes this way.

The large key is on third down. The Steelers have to still bring pressure on third down. They didn't do that within their second Baltimore match and located themselves allowing 14 third-down conversions. If they stop some of those, Baltimore never might have had a shot to win the overall game late.

So let's get really wild and assume the Steelers get past the Patriots or Ravens. They'd then face the other remaining AFC seed. It could simply be among the teams mentioned previously or the Ny Jets. Whether it's the Jets, the game would be a complete rematch of last year's game in Pittsburgh.

Here's a take a look at how it could unfold, even though this scenario is extremely, very unlikely.

Ny Jets

Offensively, the Jets play right into Pittsburgh's strength. They throw the ball well such as the run much with Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson. Neither is a real threat to Pittsburgh.

The passing game is better, but Mark Sanchez includes a bad good reputation for getting harassed by pass-rushers, and he provides extensive challenge with defenses that blitz regularly.

On defense, the Jets do pose a threat with an above-average secondary, however their pass rush isn't as good. Ben RoethlisbergerBen Roethlisberger Jersey is deadly with anywhere of time, therefore it is likely he might get plenty of plays off.

The Steelers also spread the area better than anyone in the AFC, so that would work from the Jets, who really have only one big playmaker in pass coverage.

I don't want to look too far in to the crystal ball, but when Pittsburgh gets back towards the Super Bowl, here's who they might wind up facing and a brief snapshot of this matchup:

Green Bay Packers

A rematch of Super Bowl XLV could be interesting Hines Ward Jersey, especially given Pittsburgh willingness to throw the ball and Green Bay's awful pass defense.

He's also got the Broncos believing by themselves. That can be dangerous. Denver has a talented defense too that gets after quarterbacks and shuts down runners.

More than Tebow, that's winning Denver games. This has been a nightmare matchup for everyone lately, however i think if any defensvie coach Hines Ward Jersey can figure Tebow out, it would be Dick LeBeau, especially because of the team's pass rush.

Tennessee Titans

The Steelers thrashed the Titans in Week 5, but Tennessee has come a long way since. Chris Johnson is beginning to get on track finally, and also the Titans have discovered methods to win despite a dropoff in production from their receiver-less passing attack. Still, you'd have to think the Steelers could repeat at least part of their Week 5 performance to unseat the Titans.

The common thread I've found within the wild-card matches would be that the Steelers like a 12-4 Wild CardBen Roethlisberger Jersey are better than any mixture of teams that could grab the fourth seed or even the third seed. I don't visit a problem with them during this round.

Now we have to throw in some more variables. In my original predictions, the Cincinnati Bengals were the sixth seed. The New York Jets are one other viable wild-card option (excluding the Broncos, Raiders, Titans and Texans, who could feasibly take a wild-card berth when they miss out on their division).

Assuming the Jets or Bengals face off against one of the likely third seeds (Oakland or Houston), either could move on to the following round and face the top seed. That will mean the Steelers would face the 2nd seed.

If the sixth seed team loses, the Steelers would face the 3rd seed. That would mean among the teams we've already mentioned. That's more appealing than either likely matchup for a second seed: New England or Baltimore.

Let's look at each of those teams individually.

Offense vs. Pittsburgh

The Steelers did a great job in Week 8 of keeping the Patriots off the field. Once they were on the field, the Steelers took away Tom Brady's favorite targets (Rob Gronkowski, Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez) making him throw to Chad Ochocino or Deion Branch.

The outcomes were that Brady, as they still completed lots of passes, didn't get the ball into the hands of his playmakers.

The Steelers' defense still matches well with New England because of an above-average secondary that's featuring the raised William Gay and Keenan Lewis alongside Ike Taylor, Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu. The pass rush seems a likely plus against a Patriots line that is lacking some punch these days.

Defense vs. Pittsburgh

The Steelers already proved the things they can perform against New England's defense but will have to revamp their approach again because Bill Belichick doesn't let unexpected things happen the same way twice. Their finest bet would be to lean on deep passes making New England's corners chase Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.

I additionally think that PittsburghBen Roethlisberger Jersey might be effective on the ground here. The game on offense against New England is to always go ahead and take ball out of Tom Brady's hands for as long as possible. That's how you beat the Patriots.
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Defense vs. Pittsburgh

The Baltimore defense were built with a much more trouble with the Steelers within their second game with Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger was able to be effective and obtain the ball to his receivers regularly and made just enough plays to place the Steelers in position to win.

The Pittsburgh Steelers consist of weapons. There is a franchise qb, one of the fastest players in the league at receiver, a flexible running back Hines Ward Jersey and a dependable tight end.

Why one thing the Steelers rank 19th within the league in scoring at 21.2 points per game? Looking at last week's game the scoring problems can be put directly on their red-zone efficiency.

Pittsburgh does not score enough touchdowns when down within the opponent's 20-yard line.

For the season, Pittsburgh has converted on 18-of-37 red-zone attempts. Under 50 percent for a team with this much talent is unacceptable.

This nearly cost them the overall game a week ago at Kansas City as Pittsburgh was just in a position to put 13 points on the board without success to score touchdowns on a couple of their three trips inside the red zone.

Early in the game Pittsburgh had the ball inside the Chiefs' 10-yard line without success to score after Mike Wallace dropped what looked to be a simple touchdown. Mewedle Moore Hines Ward Jersey went on to fumble the ball that was recovered by Might for any touchback.

Improved efficiency at a negative balance zone against the Chiefs could have meant a blowout.

From the New England Patriots this year the Steelers dominated but struggled to complete the game. Though they came away having a 25-17 victory, Pittsburgh converted on only 2-of-5 attempts in the red zone.

The next week the red zone cost the Steelers the game, and perhaps the division championship, from the Baltimore Ravens.

The Steelers only went 1-of-4 in the red zone and lost with a final score of 23-20 following a last second touchdown pass by Joe Flacco.

A major part of the red-zone struggles comes from the weakness on the offensive line and lack of resolve for the ground game.

Pittsburgh will discover themselves looking to go for the score from 10 yards out rather than try to get chunks of yardage. Of course, they fight in obtaining more than one or two yards on run plays this deep in their opponent's territory.

If it's not the lack of a running game then it is Ben Roethlisberger getting pressured as well as sacked, particularly on third downs.

Pittsburgh must get around these two weaknesses and they want to use their players to their strengths and never always go for the end zone shot on first down.

Bruce Arians has a plethora of talent to work with and Roethlisberger needs to recognize that a brief pass on first or second down can put them in stronger position gain. In other words, they do not have to score on one play, though when they did is there any better receiver within the league at groing through the center in the end zone than Hines Ward?

When not looking towards Ward, Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders are excellent after the catch, particularly the first couple of with rare acceleration that can beat most defenders Hines Ward Jersey.

Quick, short passes to any of those three could get chunks of yardage to place Pittsburgh in stronger position gain. Each one is capable of breaking a tackle or putting on a move to potentially even score from inside the 10 on a quick slant.

Speaking of wearing moves, the Steelers have three talented running backs who've the expertise to trap the ball out of the backfield, yet they are rarely used in the passing game that near to the goal line.

Rashard mendenhall is shifty and quick while Isaac Redman is surprisingly nimble and may tell you tackles. Moore includes a knack for locating open space too.

Maybe most frustrating is the lack of roll outs close to the end zone. Teams score touchdowns on passes for their tight ends on roll outs every week.

Pittsburgh has two very good receiving tight ends in Heath Miller and Weslye Saunders. Saunders finally picked up his first touchdown Hines Ward Jersey reception a week ago.

Worst of all, however, may be the empty backfield set. There is nothing like telling the defense that you are likely to toss the ball that near to the goal line. A well-designed draw could be deadly in this region from the field.

Regardless of what the email address details are, however, Pittsburgh needs to improve their red-zone production. That's the only way that they'll score more points and steer clear of the nail-biters that we all watched last week.

Pittsburgh needs to quit compromising for three and begin putting touchdowns on the scoreboard.

One good effort will erase any memory of a lackluster November, but it seemed that Wallace was by far the very best Black and Gold receiver. Now, that's up for debate, more as a result of Brown's rapid ascent into elite NFL receivers status than Wallace's coincidental drop-off.

While few would reason that both men are the future (hopefully) from the offense at receiver, is it feasible that the team's best all-around wideout wears No. 84?

On a nights mixed emotions, Steelers Lamarr Woodley Jersey fans can wave their towels with pride now regarding one part of the game: the defense balled!

Jackie Battle and Dexter McCluster were bright spots about the struggling Chiefs, leading KC to over 120 rushing yards per game. The two averaged nearly five yards per carry.

On the night in which the Chiefs offense needed the deterrent of a running game, which in fact had the possibility to be (and was) nearly all of their offense, 34 rushing attempts translated to 90 yards, a paltry average of under three yards per rush.

Throughout the defensive struggle, the Steelers offense made mistakes that may have easily led to a "trap game" upset. Yet, on a night that they are supposed to get takeaways, the Steelers defense finally did what is was likely to do:

ACTUALLY GET TAKEAWAYS.

Two interceptions in the first quarter setup Pittsburgh with the lead, along with a game-clinching interception by Ryan Mundy within the final minutes secured a sloppy win. Even Ike Taylor experienced the turnover act, a characteristic not credited to the corner known more for blanketing receivers and lacking a chance to hold onto interceptions.

Don't get me wrong, whether for a long time or months to come, I love the way Troy Polamalu plays the game. His capability to torpedo the offense's best efforts, coupled with his sensitivity to football situations and physical prowess, make him arguably the greatest safety in football. The Steelers defense and overall team record improve dramatically with Troy in the lineup James Harrison Jersey.

Who doesn't love a security that can split up a pass in the endzone about a minute, intercept the quarterback within the flats afterward and then shoot just like a missle into the backfield and split up the quarterback's handoff?

Its his sacrifice, especially of their own body with regard to making plays, Pittsburgh fans could be proud of the humble safety who'll do whatever it takes to win.

Yet, for everyone's need to see the "Tazmanian Devil" continue his work, most would like to see Polamalu Lamarr Woodley Jersey play for seasons in the future.

Although some of his plays simply need a focus on speed over fundamentals, few can deny the defensive stalwart could work on his mechanics as a matter of personal safety.

It's difficult to inform, considering the angle necessary to result in the tackle and the speed of pursuit, if there was in whatever way to prevent coming head first about the play he was injured Sunday night. Surely, giving up extra yards or missing the runner altogether isn't advisable.

Despite what we should may say, let's face it: hearing Troy say, "I missed the runner due to a decision to pay attention to the essential tackle in opposition to quitting my body system for the sake of a violent collision" wouldn't suffice inside a 16-13 loss, regardless of logic.

Still, this guy's head gets beaten just like a school bell James Harrison Jersey, and those love taps are often quite brutal.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will begin another new offensive line combination a few days ago, based on this report, however this time around, there isn't any injury news to report with it Lamarr Woodley Jersey.

Doug Legursky is fully balanced and available for the Steelers coming out of the bye week. The backup center is placed to consider over from long-term left guard Chris Kemoeatu as the team visits Might this Sunday night.

Kemoeatu continues to be the main one certainty (when healthy) of the team's guards because the revolving door at RG (which started spinning within the preseason) has thrown the coaching staff to where they began.

Ramon Foster has reestablished himself, although I'm still trying to puzzle out why he was dropped in the first place, with his solid showings this year in both pass protection and as a run blocker.

Foster watched as a plethora of teammates rotated interior and exterior his spot this season. Marcus Gilbert was the first name to become thrown in to the right guard mix. Others discussed possibly moving Willie Colon to guard and re-signing Flozell Adams.

Second-year pro Chris Scott was eventually chosen because the leadoff batter in the preseason before quickly striking out. Tony Hills was on deck and impressed in preseason play, but still found his way to the Denver Broncos somehow.

Doug Legursky barely performed a down at guard throughout the preseason but somehow started the very first three games Lamarr Woodley Jersey of the season at RG. Then, the man that Foster originally replaced, Trai Essex, was signed in to the season and became another option for that team.

Eventually Foster, the former Tennessee tackle, found his long ago into the lineup and has solidified the positioning.

Therefore, the moment someone mentioned another lineup change upfront, the most obvious thought was to think that Foster would be returning to a backup role.

That said, it wasn't a surprise that Kemoeatu was the main one on his method to the bench. Kemoeatu is considered by many (most live beyond Pittsburgh and rarely watch the Steelers seemingly) because the team's best lineman.

While that assessment is some way off, the reasoning for it is the fact that he was once a staple of the Steelers' running game. A running game the Steelers heavily relied on.

Kemoeatu excels at blowing open holes and is one of the best pulling guards in the league. However his inability to protect the passer, not to mention his tendency for irrational decisions and costly penalties, make him less efficient in the Steelers' new offense.

The Steelers' new offensive identity doesn't rely on the run any more. Rashard mendenhall, Isaac Redman and Mewelde Moore have made method to Antonio Brown, Jerricho Cotchery and Mike Wallace because the focal point from the Steelers' offense.

With the running game now a complementary Lamarr Woodley Jersey area of the Steelers' strategy, Kemoeatu's value dwindles dramatically.

While Doug Legursky is also a better run blocker than pass protector, he does offer a more well-rounded overall game without the irrational decisions and penalties. Legursky isn't very big and is prone to bull rushes from opposing blitzers.

He does convey more agile feet however and plays having a better base to operate in space.

The Steelers whole lines are smaller than it being this past year. The slimline version of Max Starks has a smaller footprint, and a far better pass protector than Johnathan Scott. Ramon Foster, like a former collegiate tackle, isn't a big guard while rookie Marcus Gilbert is very agile and quick unlike Flozell Adams from last season.

All of this should lead to better pass protection for Ben Roethlisberger as his attempts increase using the Steelers' newfound weapons on the exterior.

Sacrificing some quality in the running Troy Polamalu Jersey game is worth it when you have explosive players on the outside who can rip off huge gains on a regular basis.

For as much flack that Bruce Arians generally receives, he does not get everything wrong. There is a reason why Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger talked him out of retirement last year.