The Pittsburgh Steelers will end their three-game home stand with a matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. This game will see two young quarterbacks go head to head though there could not be more of a difference between the two. Mason Rudolph will only be making his sixth start while Jared Goff is coming off a 2018 campaign that saw him go to the Super Bowl. This game will also see a homecoming of sorts for Aaron Donald and all three of the players mentioned are sure to play a big role in how this one turns out.
5 – Jared Goff finally had his breakout campaign last season but he came into 2019 suffering from a minor Super Bowl hangover it seems. Goff has struggled to look like the dominant quarterback from last season and he has specifically struggled on the road. The Rams’ quarterback has been turning over the football at a high pace away from Los Angeles, accounting for five turnovers in four road games. With four interceptions and one lost fumble in four road games, Goff may be blood in the water for a Steelers defense that has recorded 22 takeaways in eight games this season.
38.1 – After owning the NFL’s best red zone offense last season, the Steelers have come crashing down hard this season. The regression has been as drastic as it gets as the Steelers’ red zone success has dropped from 73.5-percent last season to a measly 38.1-percent this season. From first to almost worst (28th), the Steelers are going to need to find a way to get into the end zone as settling for field goals in the red zone will eventually catch up to them. It almost did last week as they were just 1/4 in the red zone but were narrowly spared a defeat after Adam Vinatieri’s missed field goal. They will not be able to get away with that kind of inefficiency this week against the Rams’ offensive juggernaut.
8.5 – The Steelers offensive line has allowed the fewest sacks of any team this season but they will be coming across their steepest test in the Rams’ defense this Sunday. Led by Aaron Donald and Dante Fowler, the Steelers offensive line is going to have to bring their A-game or this one could get ugly. Fowler and Donald have been red hot recently as they have combined for 8.5 sacks and nine quarterback hits over the last three games. The Rams are also going to get back Clay Matthews who has recorded five sacks in five games this season. This Sunday’s game will likely be won or lost in the trenches as one of the best offensive lines go up against one of the best front sevens in football.
200 – The Steelers pass defense has undergone a complete transformation since acquiring Minkah Fitzpatrick and they have really started to consistently turn in strong performance after strong performance over the last little while. The Steelers secondary has held four of their last five opponents under 200 yards passing. While the Steelers have had the luxury of playing bottom feeder teams like the Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals during this stretch, they will be in for a big test this Sunday against a Rams passing offense that ranks fifth in the NFL as they are averaging 287.3 passing yards per game. If the Steelers can put the clamps on this offense, there will be little remaining doubt about the true nature of this defense.
400 – The Rams’ high-powered offensive runs through its wide receivers and they are the only team in the league with three receivers who have posted over 400 receiving yards. Cooper Kupp leads the way with 792 yards followed by Robert Woods with 471 yards and Brandin Cooks with 402 yards. A slight bit of good news for the Steelers defense is that only two of the three Rams’ receivers will dress on Sunday as Cooks has already been ruled out as he remains in the concussion protocol. Even without Cooks, Kupp and Woods will still be a tough assignment for Joe Haden and Steven Nelson.
