St. Louis Rams vs Pittsburgh Steelers quick hits

Sep 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) celebrates a touchdown pass with guard David DeCastro (66) and offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert (77) against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Rams will look to rebound from their Week 2 loss when they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. Both teams enter the game with a record of 1-1 and this should shake out to be an interesting game. Once again the fight card will be highlighted by the dominant front four of the St. Louis defense, but now opposed by the high-flying offense of Pittsburgh.

The Rams need to have some short-term memory loss entering Week 3 after a disappointing loss to the Washington Redskins on the road. The vaunted Rams defense spent far too much time on the field and was gouged in the run game by rookie Matt Jones and veteran Alfred Morris. Kirk Cousins added insult to injury by picking apart the secondary with short, methodical passes that turned into a completion percentage near 90 percent.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a win against San Francisco, and a dominant one at that, putting up 43 points. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is now averaging 353 passing yards per game including four touchdowns. The run game has produced as well, even in the absence of start running back Le’Veon Bell. The ground game has produced 218 rushing yards through two weeks and four total touchdowns. It’s safe to say this offense is living up to the hype.

Antonio Brown leads the Steelers in every statistical receiving category. Already approaching 350 receiving yards for the year, his big play threat is still very evident. Brown has five plays of 20+ yards, has accounted for 13 first downs and has some very sure hands catching 18 passes on 22 targets.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, once a first round pick turned NFL journeyman, has started well for Pittsburgh. Heyward-Bey has 135 receiving yards through two games and shows the same big play potential Brown holds with three plays of 20+ yards. Markus Wheaton isn’t far behind with 122 receiving yards heading into Week 3 and is averaging a team high 24.4 yards per catch. Tight end Heath Miller is still one of the most consistent pass -catchers in the league hauling in 10 of 13 targets in two weeks.

The Steelers compliment that with a ground attack that has been better than expected without Bell. Another NFL cast off, DeAngelo Williams has averaged 102 yards per game in the first two weeks of the season. He’s added three rushing touchdowns and gained 11 first downs. Bell is slated to return from his suspension this week, but you can expect to see Williams hold a small role in this offense for the time being. He’s been too productive to simply push aside.

Most teams will be forced into a shootout when playing the Steelers for any combination of the stats we just rolled off, but the once dominant Pittsburgh defense is a shadow of its former self. A suspect secondary has allowed almost 300 passing yards per game by opponents and six touchdowns , but their defensive front has accumulated seven sacks on the year.

St. Louis has their work cut out for them Sunday trying to stop this high power offense of Pittsburgh, but also attempt to keep up on the scoreboard. If the Rams defense fails, it will be up to the offense to match.

Next: The Rams offense has struggled, but has potential