As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for the Miami Dolphins to invade Heinz Field on Sunday in an AFC Wild Card game, many are asking about the difference between the upcoming game and the Week-6 game, which resulted in a 30-15 win for Miami.
Overall, there are some tremendous differences between where these two teams stand today and where they stood back in October. Ryan Tannehill is out, and Matt Moore is in. Ryan Shazier, Bud Dupree and Ladarius Green all missed the Week-6 game, but only Green might not be available for Sunday’s matchup. Ben Roethlisberger, who was injured during the October showdown in Miami, is healthy and ready to start his quest for another Super Bowl.
Besides strictly the differences in personnel, most are interested in the keys to victory which, in this game, are quite simple.
In the latest episode of the Steelers Connection, I delve into my keys to victory for the Steelers to advance past the Wild Card round and make their way to the Divisional round.
You can hear the brief podcast above, but the keys to victory are broken down with two on the offensive side of the ball and two on the defensive side of the ball.
Keys to Victory:
Offense
- Protect Ben Roethlisberger
- Stay balanced offensively
Defense
- Stop the run and Jay Ajayi
- Pressure Matt Moore
The football fan who loves complexity might expect a deeper analysis than these simple and straightforward keys, but the fact of the matter is that the keys to Pittsburgh winning really aren’t too complicated in this case. If the Steelers run a balanced offense, keep Big Ben upright and prevent Ajayi and company from making the Dolphins one-dimensional, they can pin their ears back and get after Matt Moore. That’s a good recipe for success.
If you want to know more about my reasoning behind these keys, check out the latest podcast in the player above.
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