All of a sudden the Steelers (6-4) have sprung so many leaks that coach Mike Tomlin isn’t quite sure where to turn next. Troy Polamalu’s cranky left knee is acting up and his status for Sunday is uncertain. Special teams play is so bad that it’s threatening to cost the Steelmen a playoff berth. And by the way, the franchise quarterback is getting his bell rung on a weekly basis.
For a long time it was admirable that Ben Roethlisberger was able to stand in and take hits, the mediocre offensive line was forcing the big guy to run for his life and take hit after hit. But now, 10 games in, it’s all about preservation, and while Roethlisberger has more moxie than just about any QB in the league, his well-being is becoming an issue in the playoff picture.
Roethlisberger, who was whacked on the head in last weekend’s loss at Kansas City, expects to play in Sunday night’s AFC North showdown at Baltimore, with most books staying away from the game until the QB’s status is cleared up. The few books that are offering the game have it anywhere from a pick ’em to the Ravens giving 2.
With backup Charlie Batch out 2-4 weeks while tending to a broken left wrist, attention has turned to No. 3 QB Dennis Dixon, who has thrown all of one NFL pass. Tests of Roethlisberger’s head show that he did not suffer his third concussion, and that gust of wind coming out of western Pennsylvania was the result of hundreds of thousands of Steelers fans breathing a sigh of relief.
In Baltimore, the Steelers could not have found a worse venue in which to protect Roethlisberger’s fragile noggin. The Ravens are ticked that they have been forced into playing what amounts to a playoff elimination game and, at 5-5, need a win badly to preserve their status as one of the better teams in the league.
Baltimore has taken a step back this season, but a win over the Steelers could provide the springboard for a late-season playoff run. After the Pittsburgh game the Ravens embark on a three-game Rust Belt set against NFC North opponents Green Bay, Detroit and Chicago – all manageable.
But if the Ravens don’t get the job done on Sunday, even the most unsophisticated Ravens fans at bars around the Inner Harbor know that it’s lights out on 2009.
The Johnson Jinx
Interesting, isn’t it, that the two teams that Larry Johnson suited up for this season were involved in the two biggest upsets of the season last Sunday. Kansas City, which shed the troublemaker, dug deep and stunned the Steelers. And Cincinnati, Johnson’s new team, sucked wind in Oakland and took a very bad loss. Johnson so far has two carries for five yards and no arrests for the Bengals.
16-0 wager not likely to be offered . . .
New Orleans continues to clobber teams, Indianapolis continues to squeak by, and both are 10-0 as talk begins about a Super Bowl featuring undefeated opponents. The odds would be through the roof on that one. Vegas books may not even be offering lines on the Colts or Saints to go without a loss in the regular season.
“It’s not a particular popular betting wager," says Las Vegas Hilton sportsbook manager Jay Kornegay. “A lot of people like to know what the odds are but don’t bet it. Most sharp bettors bet no and it creates a lot of liability for the books so we don’t like to put it up. Once we get through a couple of more weeks we might put one up.”
Two years ago the Hilton did offer -155 on the Patriots going undefeated in the regular season after New England had run off 10 straight. The Pats, favored by a cumulative total of 109 points over the final six, of course got the job done SU but were only 1-5 ATS.
. . . but if it is, Saints are the choice to do it.
The Saints seem more interested in running the table than do the Colts, and Monday night’s result could determine how hard New Orleans goes after it for the final five games.
Remaining are Washington (Saints should gaffe Redskins like a codfish), Atlanta (which could be playing out the string), Dallas (Cowboys perennially go belly up in December), Tampa Bay (now 1-9) and Carolina (Delhomme will be in race with Cutler and Sanchez for NFL intereception title). Saints give 3 to the Pats this Monday.
Jacksonville showing some life
What in the world is going on in Jacksonville? The team has spent two seasons scuttling veterans and figured to take a major step back this season. Fans responded by staying away in droves, local games were blacked out and talk was starting about the franchise pulling up roots and heading to Los Angeles.
Now Jack Del Rio has the team at 6-4 and in the playoff conversation for the first time. Three straight wins against the soft underbelly of their schedule (Chiefs, Jets, Bills) has given the Jags life for the first time, and if they can get the job done against the punchdrunk 49ers this Sunday in San Francisco, J-Ville will have tons of confidence heading into December. SF gives 3.
Young fuels Titans’ re-birth
Speaking of teams rising from the ashes, is there actually a possibility that Tennessee could run the table and sneak into the playoffs, closing the season with 10 straight wins after opening with six losses and completing the most bizarre turnaround in sports history?
The answer is nice try, but no. Arizona, Indy and San Diego are still on the schedule to make sure that doesn’t happen. But does anyone else see the irony in Vince Young quarterbacking the Titans to four straight victories and perhaps saving the job of the coach (Jeff Fisher) who refused to play him until the owner (Bud Adams) demanded it?