2011 Pittsburgh Steelers Season Preview – Steelers vs. 49ers
By Todd
San Francisco’s defense vs. Pittsburgh’s offense
The 49ers were not bad on defense in 2010, nor were they exceptionally good.
Their team defense was ranked 13th in the league by footballoutsiders.com. Their DVOA was 1.4%, compared to the Steelers’ rating of -18.5%. (Remember, negative numbers on defense are good.)
In fact, against the run, the 49ers were very good. Their rushing DVOA was 6th in the league. In yards allowed per game, they were also 6th with 96.7.
Much like the Steelers, however, San Francisco struggled to stop their opponents’ passing games.
At 14.2%, the 49ers’ passing defense was (wait for it) 24th in the league. The traditional numbers you are used to bear out their struggles. They were, care to guess? That’s right, 24th in passing yards allowed per game, and tied for 21st in scoring defense against the pass.
Bruce Arians’ offense, while a little pass-happy for the blue-collar tastes of most Pittsburghers, was ranked fifth over all and third in passing DVOA.
The Steelers should have little trouble finding yards against the 49ers.
Location, Location, Location
In truth, the toughest part of this game will be the travel. Teams going from one end of the continent to the other have a tough time with jetlag, but it is worse for teams traveling west-to-east. At least when you travel westward, you gain hours to rest.
The 49ers were victims of the NFL’s plan for world domination when they had to give up a home game last year to play the Broncos in London. They beat the pathetic Broncos, but only won five other games on the season. Four of those five wins were in Candlestick Park, so there is something to be said for trying to beat the 49ers at home. As with any game, it will not be easy.
This game will be in week 15, and the 49ers have a curious schedule. They will play five of their six divisional games in the last seven weeks of the season. The two non-divisional games they have will be a trip to play the Ravens and hosting the Steelers. I can’t imagine the NFL schedulers will be on any of the 49ers’ Christmas card lists.
The Steelers, meanwhile, will have had 11 days to prepare for the 49ers after having played a Thursday night game against the Browns the week before. This is a good thing. Teams can’t complain about a long week to prepare for a cross-country trip.
Of course, this game being on Monday night and then the entire league playing on Christmas eve (that Saturday) means another short week for the Steelers.
With any luck, the last couple games will be meaningless to the Mighty Black and Gold because they have secured a playoffs spot and home-field.
My Take
It’s hard to see how the 49ers will be able to really do anything offensively or defensively against the Steelers. Their best running back is coming off a serious injury and they have a major quarterback issue.
Even with the game being late in the year and having to travel out to San Francisco, I like the Steelers by a touchdown, at least.