The Pittsburgh Steelers’ season looked to hang in the balance when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger needed to be carted off the field after suffering an MCL sprain and bone bruise in the club’s narrow 12-6 win over the St. Louis Rams in Week 3.
The Steelers’ ground game already struggled to produce offense in the early going of the 2015 season, tallying just 84 ground yards in their 43-18 Week 2 rout of the San Francisco 49ers, and just 62 yards against the Rams.
The loss of Big Ben could be devastating for a revitalized Pittsburgh squad that ended a two-year playoff drought last season by winning 11 games and winning the tough AFC North division.
Michael Vick proved to be a steady replacement in Pittsburgh’s 23-20 overtime loss on Thursday Night Football to the previously winless Baltimore Ravens, completing a TD pass and scrambling for 33 rushing yards, despite getting sacked four times, and arguably deserved the win in a game decided by a pair of missed field goals.
News reports ahead of Pittsburgh’s Week 5 visit to San Diego, where they face the Chargers on Monday Night Football as early 3.5-point underdogs, indicate that Big Ben may be ready to return to action as early as the Steelers’ Week 7 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The question remains how the 2-2 Steelers can get through their next two games without Roethlisberger and keep pace with the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals atop the division. It’s not the first time that the quarterback has caused problems for the Pittsburgh side as he was only recently cleared of having attacked a casino worker. And fans will undoubtedly be hoping that Roethlisberger will keep his gambling activities restricted to online casino sites such as Spin Palace so as to keep out of controversy and focus on his recovery.
The Chargers have endured some struggles of their own, stumbling to a mediocre 2-2 start, and like Pittsburgh, are desperate to close the gap on an undefeated division leader.
The Bolts have been a far from appealing bet in their first four contests, eking out a slim against the spread win in their 33-28 Week 1 victory over the hapless Detroit Lions, but have been a betting disappointment in their last three outings, but remain unbeaten in their last four at home when pegged as a betting favourite.
San Diego has also been bitten hard by the injury bug, and expect to see key personnel return, most notably center Chris Watt, who bolsters a Chargers offensive line that has allowed quarterback Philip Rivers to get sacked 12 times this season.
San Diego owns the second-ranked defense in the NFL, but with the league’s fourth-worst rush defense, Vick may be perfectly suited to orchestrate a solid ground offensive against the Chargers.
Things get tougher in Week 6, when Pittsburgh plays host to the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals.
The Cards roared out of the gate, amassing 126 total points in three lopsided victories over the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, but were brought crashing back to Earth in a stunning 24-22 home loss to the Rams in Week 4.
With the NFL’s fifth best overall defense and No. 1 offense, Arizona represents one of the Steelers’ toughest challenges of the year.
It would be a tall order for the Steelers to bounce back from a 2-4 start and claim a playoff spot, even with a healthy Roethlisberger at pivot. But with just four AFC teams currently sporting records above .500, a 3-3 record through after six games provides Pittsburgh ample breathing room to challenge for a Wild Card down the stretch.