Game 7 : Steelers @ Cardinals : 10.23.11

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Steelers-Cardinals Preview
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Wins are keeping the Pittsburgh Steelers happy. The performances have been a lot less satisfying.

The Arizona Cardinals are hoping a week off has quelled their own frustrations.

The Steelers look for a more complete effort as they face the struggling Cardinals on Sunday in the first meeting since beating them in the Super Bowl nearly three years ago.

Pittsburgh (4-2) has won four of five, but those victories have come against teams with a combined 6-16 record. The Steelers have also failed to put together complete performances in those contests, and that happened again in last week's 17-13 victory over Jacksonville.

They totaled 315 yards of offense in the first half to take a 14-point lead, but were held to 70 in the second half.

"We (want to be) a team that is good and executes on third down and in the red zone and not turn the ball over," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "If we do that, we're a pretty good ball club. We just have to be consistent. We are not doing it on a consistent level yet. But we're getting there."

The defense has found consistency and ranks as the best in the NFL, giving up 270.5 yards per game -- 157.7 through the air.

Coach Mike Tomlin is pleased with the defense, but knows stiffer tests lay ahead. The four teams the Steelers have beaten rank 19th (Tennessee), 30th (Seattle), 31st (Indianapolis) and 32nd (Jacksonville) in the league in yards per game.

"I think the jury is still out on us," Tomlin said. "We've done some nice things but due to some circumstances, one way or another, we haven't been tested like we will be. The big challenges lie ahead."

Stopping Larry Fitzgerald may be one of the challenges Tomlin is speaking of.

The superstar wide receiver leads the Cardinals (1-4) with 427 receiving yards and 27 receptions while adding two touchdowns. While those numbers may be somewhat modest for Fitzgerald, the Steelers are well aware of his capabilities after struggling to contain him in a 27-23 win over Arizona in the Super Bowl following the 2008 season.

Fitzgerald had 127 yards on seven catches while hauling in two scoring grabs in that meeting, which still weighs heavily on him.

"It still breaks my heart to this day," Fitzgerald said. "But you've got to look to the future and try and get better and improve."

Dealing with Fitzgerald may be a bit easier with a healthy Troy Polamalu, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He's expected to be available after passing a concussion test earlier in the week. The safety exited last week's win in the fourth quarter after apparently getting hit in the head while diving at running back Maurice Jones-Drew's legs as he stuffed him on a third-and-1 play.

The defense, though, will be without linebacker James Harrison (eye), nose tackle Casey Hampton (knee) and defensive end Aaron Smith (foot).

That could benefit the Cardinals, who are looking to snap a four-game slide that continued with a 34-10 loss at Minnesota on Oct. 9. They're averaging 17.0 points and 222.8 passing yards during the losing streak, and feel the week off may provide an obstacle.

"When you take a week off and another team is rolling and you've got to play them and they have momentum, that can hurt you," defensive tackle Darnell Dockett told the team's official website.

Kevin Kolb vented his frustration following the loss to the Vikings, as he completed half of his 42 passes for 232 yards with two interceptions and a fumble. He has a 77.2 rating on the season, but it's a paltry 60.8 over the last three games while throwing one scoring pass and five picks.

"Kevin has always been a good leader," said coach Ken Whisenhunt, a member of the Steelers' staff from 2001-06. "Kevin has been working very hard to get better at some of the things, for instance, footwork things in the pocket, and if he does that I'm sure it is going to translate into us being more efficient offensively."

If Kolb struggles again, it could mean an increased reliance on Beanie Wells, who has 381 yards on 79 rushes while scoring six touchdowns to rank among the league leaders.

Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger has thrown nine touchdown passes and six INTs, but five of those scores came in a 38-17 win over the Titans on Oct. 9. He followed that up by completing 12 of 23 passes for 200 yards with one TD last week.

Rashard Mendenhall picked up some of the slack against the Jaguars, rushing for 146 yards and one TD on 23 attempts after a hamstring injury forced him out of the previous contest. He'll now face a Cardinals run defense that has surrendered an average of 130.0 yards over the last four games.

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Matchup

PIT ARIZ

W-L	4-2	1-4
Avg Points	19.8	19.2
Avg Points Allowed	17.0	24.2
Home Record	3-0	1-1
Road Record	1-2	0-3
Division Record	0-1	0-1
Conference Record	3-2	1-4

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Head to Head Matchups (Since 2001)

Feb 1, 2009	PIT 27, @ARI 23
Sep 30, 2007	PIT 14, @ARI 21
Nov 9, 2003	PIT 28, ARI 15

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Injury Report

Week: Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Go

Hampton, Casey	DNP	Out
Harrison, James	DNP	Out
Hoke, Chris	DNP	doubtful
Legursky, Doug	DNP	Out
Mendenhall, Rashard	FP	probable
Pouncey, Maurkice	FP	probable
Smith, Aaron	DNP	Out
Wallace, Mike	FP	probable
Ward, Hines	-	-
Worilds, Jason	DNP	questionable

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Steelers vs. Cardinals key matchups

MAX STARKS vs. JOEY PORTER

There's a chance Joey Porter will call it a career after this season. He's 34 and playing on a sore knee. He's no longer the menacing defender he was when he started seven seasons (2000-2006) for the Steelers and even when he recorded 17.5 sacks in '08 while playing for the Dolphins.

"That's hard to accept," he said. "It gets tougher when you get older. I'm just trying to stay healthy. When I'm healthy, I can still go out there and play with anybody."

Porter has not missed any starts this year at right outside linebacker for the Cardinals. But he's not playing at a high level. He's tied for eighth on the team with only 12 solo tackles. And he only has one sack. But that sacked upped his all-time total to 98 for his career and on the verge of becoming just the 26th player to record 100 in a career. He'd love for that to happen today when he's matched up against Steelers left tackle Max Starks.

"That would be perfect. It would be huge to get two sacks against the Steelers," Porter said. "I'm going to go out there and try to make that happen. But more than anything, we just want to win the game."

Porter, who took a major pay cut this year - from $5.75 million to $1.5 million -- in order to play in his 13th pro season, has yet to beat the Steelers since he left. He lost to them twice during the three years he spent with the Dolphins.

"Playing the Steelers isn't as big a deal as it was when I first left," he said. "I'm five years removed now. But I always look forward to seeing those guys. I had some great times in Pittsburgh and a lot of those guys are still my friends."

BRUCE ARIANS vs. RAY HORTON

This is now the third time that Pittsburgh has played Arizona since Ken Whisenhunt was hired as the Cardinals' head coach in January of 2007. When "Whiz" headed west, the former Steelers offensive coordinator took with him several Steelers assistants. So that angle was one of the storylines when the Steelers met during the regular season in 2007 (a 21-14 Arizona home win) and in Super Bowl XLIII (a 27-23 Pittsburgh win).

But this year is different. That's because the Cardinals have two new coordinators who spent time in the past with the Steelers.

One of them is offensive coordinator Mike Miller, who served as an offensive quality control coach for the Steelers from 1999-2003. Miller, who also has two stints as an assistant at Robert Morris University on his resume, is 40 years old. Today, he'll match wits against with Dick LeBeau, the 74-year-old legend who coordinates the Steelers' top-ranked defense.

The Cardinals' other new coordinator is Ray Horton on defense. For the past seven seasons, Horton coached defensive backs of the Steelers. The first thing he did when getting the job in Arizona was switch the Cardinals' base defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 and incorporate many of the principles he learned fro LeBeau.

Today, Horton will be scheming against Steelers' offensive coordinator Bruce Arians.

"It still comes down to the players, because we know what they're going to do and they know what we're going to do," Arians said. "It's up to the players to make the plays. But both of us will have a couple wrinkles. And they probably honed-up some things during their bye last week, but probably nothing we haven't seen."

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GAME PLAN

When the Cardinals have the ball: The good news is the offense has shown the ability to run the ball with Beanie Wells. The offensive line, which has been poor in pass protection (16 sacks), has done a good job opening holes. Wells has 381 yards (4.8 ypc) and is second in the NFC with six rushing TDs. The bad news is that Kevin Kolb, acquired before the season in a trade with the Eagles, has struggled. He has five INTs and just one TD in the past three games, looks uncomfortable in the pocket and is missing open receivers. And he doesn't really have another go-to receiver to take the pressure off Larry Fitzgerald. But WR Early Doucet has 21 catches and is second in the NFC with 13 third-down catches. The Cardinals have two new starting guards and LT Levi Brown and RT Brandon Keith have been shaky in protection. That is not good news against OLB LaMarr Woodley, who has 31/2 sacks in the past two games, or DE Brett Keisel, who had two sacks and three tackles for losses vs. the Jaguars.

When the Steelers have the ball: Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton has been getting good production from his front three of NT Dan Williams and DEs Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell. Rookie David Carter has been rotating with Williams and is a pleasant surprise. Campbell leads the team with 21/2 sacks. Despite the addition of rookie CB Patrick Peterson, the secondary has been shaky. Peterson and second-year CB A.J. Jefferson are in their first year as starters, and Jefferson gets picked on because teams have been reluctant to test Peterson. They will have to contend with WR Mike Wallace, who is second in the AFC with 612 receiving yards and second in the NFL in yards per catch (18.5). SS Adrian Wilson is in his 11th season and is starting to show his age. He has difficulty getting to the quarterback in blitz situations and is a liability in coverage. FS Kerry Rhodes is out with a broken foot and will be replaced by Rashad Johnson.

KEEP AN EYE ON ...

RB LaRod Stephens-Howling ... The former Pitt player is a dangerous kick returner and combines with Peterson, who already has an 89-yard punt return for touchdown, to give the Cardinals an explosive pair of return specialists. Howling averages 25 yards on seven returns, but he led the NFL with 1,548 kickoff-return yards and two touchdowns in 2010. Peterson averages an NFC-best 15.9 yards on 11 returns after scoring on an 89-yard return in his rookie debut against the Carolina Panthers.

INTANGIBLES

This is the first official meeting between the teams since the Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa, Fla. They met in the 2009 preseason. ... The Cardinals won the previous regular-season meeting, 21-14, Sept. 30, 2007, in Glendale, the year Ken Whisenhunt and Mike Tomlin were rookie coaches. That is Tomlin's only loss to an NFC West team (5-1). Whisenhunt is 7-1 against AFC teams at home. ... The Cardinals have lost four in a row and are desperate for a win. .... The Steelers have won two in a row but are winless on the road (0-2) this season. The Steelers lead the all-time series, 32-23-3.

KEYS TO VICTORY

To win, the Cardinals must ...

1 Put on the Fitz. WR Larry Fitzgerald can change the game in an instant, as the Steelers discovered in the Super Bowl.

2 Be hard on Rashard. Mendenhall is coming off his best performance of the season and is very good at bouncing runs to the outside.

3 Howl at the moon. Thet beat the Steelers in 2007 with a punt return for a TD, and they might need another scoring return this time from Stephens-Howling.

To win, the Steelers must ...

1 Be meanie with Beanie. At 6-2, 229 pounds, Wells is a power back who can run through contact and still gain yards.

2 Not be easy on J-Peezy. Former Steelers OLB Joey Porter is a one-dimensional player who can be exploited in mismatches.

3 Keep 90 on their Dockett. He is the most disruptive player in the Cardinals' 3-4 defense, witness his three sacks in Super Bowl XLIII.

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Odds and end zones

The Steelers are first in the NFL in five defensive categories - yards per game (270.5), passing yards per game (157.7), passing yards per play (4.5), first downs per game (15.3) and first down yards per play (4.67). ... Steelers receiver Mike Wallace has a pass reception of 40 or more yards in each of his last five games, the longest streak since Terrell Owens did it in 2004.

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Three-and-out: Steelers-Cardinals preview

1. The Steelers have benefited from one of the league's weakest early-season schedules with wins in four of their last five against Jacksonville, Tennessee, Indianapolis and Seattle, who are a combined 6-16. Pittsburgh's road doesn't get any tougher vs. Arizona, who lost their fourth in a row before the bye, falling 34-10 to the Vikings.

2. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger has been underwhelming in the first half of the season. Throw out the five-TD performance against Tennessee and he's thrown four TDs and five picks in five games. Pittsburgh's strength has been its running game. Rashard Mendenhall, coming off a season-best 146-yard performance vs. Jacksonville, faces an Arizona D which has yielded an average 130 yards over the past four games.

3. Matchup to watch -- Larry Fitzgerald vs. Steelers secondary -- If the Cards have a chance here, they need the Kolb-Fitzgerald connection to be firing on all cylinders. Fitzgerald has 27 catches for 427 yards with over 60 yards receiving in every game this season. The Steelers will certainly benefit from the return of S Troy Polamalu, who is expected to play despite suffering a concussion in the 4th quarter against Jacksonville.

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Pittsburgh at Arizona


When: 4:05 PM ET, Sunday, October 23, 2011

Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona



THE STORY: The Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers are less than three years removed from one of the more thrilling Super Bowl games in history. When the teams face off in Arizona on Sunday for the first time since that epic matchup, a return trip to the Super Bowl seems like light years away. The Cardinals (1-4) are reeling from four consecutive defeats that have put them on the verge of playoff extinction. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, looks the part of a contender if judged solely by its 4-2 record. But the Steelers have played a soft schedule and have floundered on the road thus far.


TV: CBS, 4:05 p.m. ET. LINE: Steelers -3.5, O/U 42.5


ABOUT THE STEELERS (4-2): Pittsburgh finally got its running game untracked as Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 146 yards and a TD in last week’s 17-13 home win over Jacksonville. It was the fourth win in five games following a season-opening thrashing at Baltimore, but the four victories have come against opponents with a combined six wins. WR Mike Wallace had a TD catch in each of the wins and is averaging 18.5 yards per reception. Pittsburgh’s normally stout defense has been vulnerable against the run, but leads the league in total yards (270.5) and ranks first in passing yards (157.7) allowed per game.


ABOUT THE CARDINALS (1-4): Arizona entered its bye week on a downward spiral after a 34-10 drubbing at previously winless Minnesota. QB Kevin Kolb continued to struggle, committing two of his three turnovers as the Cardinals fell into a 28-0 hole in the first quarter. Kolb had thrown one TD pass and five interceptions in the last three games and has been sacked 16 times overall. RB Beanie Wells has scored six TDs and has rushed for an average of 95.3 yards in his four games. WR Larry Fitzgerald has 27 catches in five games but has found the end zone only twice.


EXTRA POINTS:


1. Fitzgerald had seven catches for 127 yards and two TDs against Pittsburgh in the Super Bowl. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger has won 20 of his last 26 games against NFC opponents.


2. Mendenhall’s first 100-yard game of the season earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.


3. The schedule-makers have done Arizona no favors, with seven of the team’s first 11 games on the road.


PREDICTION: Steelers 23, Cardinals 17. Mendenhall gashes Arizona’s defense as Pittsburgh slowly wears down the Cardinals.



Team Comparison

	W/L	Strk	PF	PA	Home	Away	Grass	Turf	OT	Div	Conf
Pittsburgh	4-2	W2	19.8	17.0	3-0	1-2	3-1	1-1	0-0	0-1	3-2
Arizona	1-4	L4	19.2	24.2	1-1	0-3	1-2	0-2	0-0	0-1	1-4

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Recent Trends

Pittsburgh:	PIT are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games on grass. Over is 7-3 in PIT last 10 games overall. PIT are 7-3 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.
Arizona:	Over is 23-9 in ARI last 32 home games. Over is 20-8 in ARI last 28 games in October. ARI are 6-14 ATS in their last 20 games overall.

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Recent Meetings

					Pittsburgh			Arizona
Date	Away	Home	Line	ATS	Tot	Rus	Pas	Tot	Rus	Pas
8/13/09	ARI 10	PIT 20	-3/33.5	PIT/U	280	90	190	329	70	259
2/1/09	PIT 27	ARI 23	6.5/46.5	ARI/O	292	58	234	407	33	374
9/30/07	PIT 14	ARI 21	5.5/42.5	ARI/U	282	77	205	301	86	215
8/12/06	PIT 13	ARI 21	-4.5/35.5	ARI/U	246	72	174	227	57	170
11/9/03	ARI 15	PIT 28	-7/40.5	PIT/O	246	87	159	379	96	283
11/30/97	PIT 26	ARI 20	6/40	P/O	342	177	165	291	48	243

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Injuries


Pittsburgh

Player		Status/Updated	Notes
Maurkice Pouncey	C	Prob Sun - Elbow - 10/23/11	Pouncey is dealing with an injured elbow but is expected to play Sunday against the Cardinals.
Mike Wallace	WR	Prob Sun - Hamstring - 10/20/11	Wallace is dealing with a slight hamstring pull, which he suffered in Week 6 against the Jaguars, but is expected to play in Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
Troy Polamalu	S	Prob Sun - Concussion - 10/18/11	Polamalu has passed his concussion on Tuesday and coach Mike Tomlin said he is "good to go" for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
Marcus Gilbert	T	Prob Sun - Shoulder - 10/19/11	Gilbert did not play in Week 6 against the Jaguars after being forced from Week 5 with a left shoulder injury. He is expected to play Sunday against the Cardinals.
Chris Kemoeatu	G	Prob Sun - Knee - 10/19/11	Kemoeatu has missed the last two games due to a banged up knee and an injured hand. He is expected to return for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
Jason Worilds	LB	Prob Sun - Quadricep - 10/19/11	Worilds missed the last two games due to an injured quadriceps but is expected to play Sunday against the Cardinals.
Mewelde Moore	RB	Prob Sun - Ankle - 10/19/11	Moore missed the last two games after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 4 against the Texans. He is expected to play in Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
Chris Hoke	NT	Doub Sun - Neck - 10/23/11	Hoke suffered a neck stinger during the first half in Week 6 against the Jaguars and is not expected to play Sunday against the Cardinals.
Casey Hampton	NT	Doub Sun - Shoulder - 10/19/11	Hampton has missed the last two games due to a shoulder injury and is expected to miss Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
Doug Legursky	C	Out indefinitely - Toe - 10/19/11	Legursky dislocated a toe in Week 6 against the Jaguars and will be out a few weeks at the least while he lets it heal.
James Harrison	LB	Out indefinitely - Eye - 10/4/11	Harrison suffered a fractured orbital bone around his right eye during Week 4 against the Texans and is expected to miss several weeks of action.
Aaron Smith	DE	I-R - Foot - 10/22/11	Smith will miss the remainder of the season after being placed on the injured reserve because of a mid foot sprain he suffered in Week 4 against the Texans.

Arizona

Player		Status/Updated	Notes
Daryn Colledge	G	Prob Sun - Concussion - 10/20/11	Colledge was forced to leave their Week 5 game against the Vikings with a concussion but is expected to play Sunday against the Steelers.
Dave Zastudil	P	Prob Sun - Knee - 10/20/11	Zastudil did not play in Week 5 against the Vikings due to a knee injury but is expected to play Sunday against the Steelers.
Brandon Keith	T	Prob Sun - Knee - 10/20/11	Keith did not play in Week 5 against the Vikings due to a knee injury, which he suffered in Week 4 against the Giants, but is expected to play Sunday against the Steelers.
Todd Heap	TE	Ques Sun - Hamstring - 10/17/11	Heap did not play in Week 5 against the Vikings due to a hamstring injury and remains questionable for Sunday's game against the Steelers.
Jim Dray	TE	Ques Sun - Pectoral - 10/17/11	Dray has yet to play this season due to a strained pectoral muscle and remains questionable for Sunday's game against the Steelers.
Kerry Rhodes	S	Mid Nov - Foot - 10/11/11	Rhodes suffered a broken bone in his left foot during the first quarter of their Week 5 match-up with the Vikings and will undergo foot surgery this week. He will be out at least one month.

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ATS Records | In Depth

	W/L	ATS	Home	Away	Grass	Turf
PIT ARI	4-2 1-4	2-4-0 2-3-0	2-1-0 1-1-0	0-3-0 1-2-0	2-2-0 2-1-0	0-2-0 0-2-0

Overall Stats | In Depth

Offense	Avg	Yards	Pass	Rush	Y/R	Y/A
PIT ARI	19.8 19.2	373.0 340.2	250.7 237.2	122.3 103.0	4.6 4.2	7.6 6.7
Defense	Avg	Yards	Pass	Rush	Y/R	Y/A
PIT ARI	17.0 24.2	270.5 377.0	157.7 258.2	112.8 118.8	4.6 3.9	4.9 7.5

Home/Away Stats | In Depth | Last 3 H/A

Offense	Avg	Yards	Pass	Rush	Y/R	Y/A
PIT ARI	13.3 27.5	338.7 381.0	255.0 253.5	83.7 127.5	3.8 4.5	7.1 8.3
Defense	Avg	Yards	Pass	Rush	Y/R	Y/A
PIT ARI	24.0 26.0	314.7 418.5	165.7 354.5	149.0 64.0	5.1 2.5	5.5 9.2

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Over/Under Records | In Depth

	O/U	Home	Away	Grass	Turf	Total
PIT ARI	3-3-0 2-3-0	1-2-0 2-0-0	2-1-0 0-3-0	1-3-0 2-1-0	2-0-0 0-2-0	36.8 43.4

Last 3 Stats | In Depth

Offense	Avg	Yards	Pass	Rush	Y/R	Y/A
PIT ARI	21.7 15.7	365.7 327.7	206.7 220.0	159.0 107.7	5.8 3.8	7.0 5.5
Defense	Avg	Yards	Pass	Rush	Y/R	Y/A
PIT ARI	15.7 26.0	277.7 317.7	151.3 201.7	126.3 116.0	4.6 3.8	4.7 6.6

Grass/Turf Stats | In Depth

Offense	Avg	Yards	Pass	Rush	Y/R	Y/A
PIT ARI	22.2 25.3	379.5 362.0	229.2 246.0	150.2 116.0	5.1 4.8	7.7 8.1
Defense	Avg	Yards	Pass	Rush	Y/R	Y/A
PIT ARI	11.8 24.7	249.2 430.7	146.8 330.7	102.5 100.0	4.3 3.5	4.7 8.3