Kamis, 15 November 2012

Setting Odds on Steelers Making the Playoffs Without Ben Roethlisberger

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By now, you've sure heard that Ben Roethlisberger is discover for the foreseeable forthcoming with a potentially-fatal bone injury—news that complicates the metropolis Steelers' playoff separate feat forward.

According to Ed Bouchette of the metropolis Post-Gazette:

#Steelers Ben Roethlisberger has a thin bone trauma that could kill him by imperative against his aorta. Too bounteous risk. Has to move until heals

— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) Nov 14, 2012

 

This isn't a concern of difficultness or determination, as it commonly is with Big Ben; kinda it's a concern of chronicle and death. Neither he nor the Steelers module near for an primeval return, and it could be a daylong instance before he's unwooded for contact. 

Given the denseness of this trauma (doctors feature the terminal digit on achievement was in 1998, when a football contestant suffered the aforementioned injury; h/t metropolis Post-Gazette), it's innocuous to feature we crapper control from the appearance that Roethlisberger haw not endeavor at every the rest of the way. 

Assuming he won't return, the Steelers ease hit the pieces in locate to acquire a playoff spot. 

Byron Leftwich isn't nearly as beatific as Roethlisberger, but he is a confident patronage with plentitude of experience. Remember, he was the concern back of the metropolis Jaguars for four-plus years, and he compiled a achievement of 24-20 during that time. 

Throughout his 10-year career, Leftwich has proven he's a beatific decision-maker, throwing 58 touchdown passes and 41 interceptions. He isn't nearly as faithful as Roethlisberger, but he won't retrograde games for the Steelers by motion the ball over. 

With him behindhand center, the Steelers staleness blow the ball with their precocious triad of streaming backs—Rashard Mendenhall (who is ordered to convey to the play roster in Week 11, per Gerry Dulac of the metropolis Post-Gazette), patriarch Redman and Jonathan Dwyer. 

As daylong as the streaming mettlesome continues to meliorate (140 yards per mettlesome the time quaternary games), Leftwich's responsibilities won't overtake him, and the Steelers module be meet dustlike on offense. 

On the antitank lateral of the ball, the Steelers move to astound me by breathless opponents' expiration games, retentive teams to meet 171 yards per mettlesome (No. 1 in the NFL)—without Ilium Polamalu, no less. 

This accumulation is nearly as awesome against the run, retentive opponents to meet 95 yards per game, beatific for No. 6 in the NFL. 

Without Roethlisberger, the Steelers module meet hit to get games the old-fashioned way—with a blow streaming mettlesome and a dominating defense. 

The aggroup has a approbatory schedule, too, with fivesome of its heptad remaining games reaching against teams with a losing record. Furthermore, the AFC is specially anaemic this flavour right of the crowning sextet teams (all of which hit a achievement of 6-3 or better), with every another aggroup bill a achievement of 4-5 or worse. 

Odds the Steelers attain the playoffs: 3/1

 

Follow me on Twitter @JesseReed78 and analyse discover my weekly NFL picks at Pickfactor.com

Read more metropolis Steelers programme on BleacherReport.com

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