Steelers Opening Day Is An Early Christmas Gift



Santa Comes Early on Sunday Night Football


- Chris Haney (@CHaney43)

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Christmas comes a little early for me this year...The Pittsburgh Steelers will be in the lime light of the nation this Sunday night as they square off against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. There are many questions about this 2012-2013 Pittsburgh Steelers team, and most of them will be answered this weekend.

Lets tackle some of those questions.  First, will the defensive line and linebackers be able to get to Peyton enough to disrupt his rhythm and timing?  That is going to be one of the biggest tasks this Steelers Defense takes on this Sunday.  Manning is extremely good at feeling the pocket collapsing and seems to get rid of the ball at the perfect time. To add on the the current question, is Peyton going to come out rusty, or worried about re-injuring his neck? I have a feeling this is not going to be an issue and he will be typical Peyton; however, I do feel that although the Steelers might not register alot of sacks, they certainly are capable of getting pressure on him...especially if James Harrison is healthy enough to be effective.

Second, how will the defensive backs adjust after being picked apart last year by Tim Tebow? I think Ike Taylor was embarrassed last year.  Enough so that I don't think he will let this game play out like the Wild Card playoff loss did in January. He has looked pretty solid this preseason and actually had a couple turnovers...scary to think, right? I am also anxious to see how Ryan Mundy fills in for Ryan Clark.  Troy Polamalu has stated over and over that its because of Ryan Clark that he is able to be all over the field.  Will it be the same with Mundy, or should we expect a more conservative Tazmanian Devil Sunday night?  How about Keenan Lewis...will he step up as the starting cornerback across from Ike Taylor?  He is taking over for William Gay, and not that those are HUGE shoes to fill, but will he be up to the challenge?

Finally, the biggest question to me is the offensive line...again.  Losing Decastro was a huge loss, but I believe our veterans will step up in a big way Sunday night. They have to keep Ben off his back this year, since he isn't getting any younger.  Pass protection will be key, but also opening up holes for the running game are just as crucial considering the run game will help take some of the heat off of Big Ben and the passing game.

Alot of these questions will be answered by who is able to play.  They have not ruled out Harrison, Worilds, Mendenhall, or Redman for Sunday night.  Redman was a full participant in practice the other day, so he should be suiting up Sunday Night barring any setbacks.  Worilds should be able to go, but he and Harrison haven't practiced since last season.  Chris Carter might see more playing time than people think on Sunday night...hopefully Woodley is up to the challenge!  Let's hope they don't rush any players back too soon and they suffer a setback or an even more serious injury.

Its time to play the games that matter!!

HERE WE GO STEELERS!!!