Without star running back Le’Veon Bell — currently in a contract dispute — the Pittsburgh Steelers are off to a 1-2-1 start.
The Bell-less Steelers are set to host the Falcons (1-3) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Heinz Field. The Falcons have never won in Pittsburgh as the franchise has a 0-6-1 mark against the traditional AFC powerhouse in their stadiums.
Ring the Bell
Bell, who wants a long-term deal, has been under heavy criticism from his own teammates after he didn’t report for the season opener.
The Steelers allegedly have explored trading him, while there was an ESPN report that Bell is set to end his holdout during the Steelers’ bye week, which is two weeks later.
The Falcons’ injury-depleted defense is struggling and will catch a major break with the dynamic Bell out.
However, the Steelers are not devoid of weapons. They have wide receiver Antonio Brown, who’s considered the top receiver in the league or the second-best behind the Falcons’ Julio Jones.
In addition to Brown, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is playing well along with tight end Vance MacDonald, who’s stiff-arm on Tampa Bay defensive back Chris Conte has been one of the highlights of the season.
“Yeah, number one, I think right off the bat, it's the explosiveness that their team has, and so as good and explosive as Antonio is, they've got a full complement of guys that they use at receivers and tight ends at backs,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “They make it very challenging just because of the different guys they go to in the match-ups.”
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who misses Bell the most, likes to spread the ball around.
“I think, nine guys caught passes (against the Ravens),” Quinn said. “They’ve got a full arsenal and full stable of guys that they like to feature and all the speed that they use. It'll be a heck of a match-up on both sides.”
Behind the numbers
Both defenses are playing so poorly, that a 60-58 score seems rather plausible.
The Steelers have allowed 449 yards or more in each of their last three games.
The Falcons allowed over 500 to the Saints and 407 to the Bengals in their last two games.
The Steelers ranked 30th in total yards allowed (420.5 yards per game), 21st in rushing yards allowed (115.8 yards per game), 29th in passing yards allowed (304.8 yards per game) and 26th in points allowed (29 per game).
The Ravens ran the ball 30 times for 96 yards, which helped win the time of possession – 35:03 to 24:57 – and keep Brown and the other offensive weapons off the field.
The Ravens also shut down the Steelers rushing attack and made them one-dimensional. They held running back James Conner, Bell’s replacement, to 19 yards on nine carries. Roethlisberger attempted 47 passes.
Georgia touch
The Steelers defense starts three players from Georgia in defensive end Cameron Heyward (Whitefield Academy/Pleasant Ridge), Stephon Tuitt (Monroe) and Bud Dupree (Wilkinson County). Safety Morgan Burnett (North Clayton/Georgia Tech) was inactive last week with a groin injury.
Bringing out the flags
The Steelers have committed 50 penalties, eight have been declined. The total of 42 penalties leads the NFL.
The Falcons are the seventh most penalized team in the NFL. The Falcons have committed 38 penalties, but six have been declined.
In addition to Pittsburgh, only Philadelphia (35), Jacksonville (35), Indianapolis (34), Houston (34) and Kansas City (34) have had more accepted penalties than the Falcons.
The Steelers have had 10 pre-snap penalties and the Falcons have committed eight pre-snap penalties. The Steelers have three too many defensive men on the field penalties, which just points dis-organization on the coaching staff.
"I believe it was at least four or five of those were pre-snap," Quinn said of the Falcons's 10 penalties against the Bengals. "Number one, those are things you can control with your focus and your discipline."
How did the Falcons get to 1-3?
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