"Obviously, ending the offense with an interception is not the most beautiful way to start the game, but for the audience, it is undoubtedly wonderful." Tirico said in a humorous tone, "Now, let's take a look. Roethlisberger's performance, and how many surprises can the San Francisco 49ers defense, which ranks sixth in the league, bring to the table?"
When people talk about this year's San Francisco 49ers, the offense is undoubtedly their biggest highlight. The defense has ups and downs, good times and bad. It can bring surprises at critical moments, but it fails at certain critical moments. It seems that the overall team is still relying on offense to win games, just like the Green Bay Packers.
But in fact, according to data, the San Francisco 49ers' running ball defense ranks first in the league, even surpassing the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens; while their pass defense ranks eleventh in the league, which is not among the top, but it is among the best. Above average, not seriously lagging behind.
After comprehensive consideration, the San Francisco 49ers' defense currently ranks sixth in the league, while the offense ranks third in the league. This is indeed a team with the ability to disrupt the playoffs, but why are people still not optimistic about the 49ers? What about beating the Steelers?
Because the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense ranks first in the league, and the offense ranks ninth in the league, the overall average strength is still ahead of the 49ers - this is a ranking based on various passing, running, and scoring data, not The league's official combat power rankings. But regardless of the rankings on the two lists, in the final analysis, the game still requires a real battle to know the result.
Ben Roethlisberger led the offensive team to make a brilliant debut and faced off against the defensive team led by Patrick Willis to start a formal showdown.
This Steelers offense has a seriously aging offensive line.
Center Maurkice-Pouncey is the only young player, a sophomore. He was nominated for the Pro Bowl last year during his rookie season. He has also continued his excellent performance this year and can be called the most stable presence among the offensive line; The two guards and two tackles are all veterans, and three of them are two-time Super Bowl champions. However, their condition has declined seriously since last year, which can even be said to be bad.
This year, their performance has been good and bad. In some games, they can still rise strongly; but more often, they barely maintain an average level and cannot provide more effective protection. This also makes Roslisbo He was often caught in passing pressure, had a lot of hits and sacks, and suffered lingering injuries of all sizes.
Roethlisberger, like Lu Ke, is a traditional pocket quarterback, but he is a little different.
At 6.4 feet (196 centimeters) and 240 pounds (109 kilograms), Roethlisberger is even stronger than the linebacker. On the one hand, it hinders his movement, but on the other hand, it enhances his confrontation ability, which also This makes his playing style bulky and powerful, like a heavy sword without an edge.
Faced with the occasional pocket protection of the offensive line, Roethlisberger relied more on his observation and reading to open up the situation. His ability to make long passes at critical moments could still defeat his opponents. But it is a pity that the state of the receiving group has been ups and downs this year, and they have not been able to help.
One running back, three wide receivers, and one tight end, this is the basic configuration of the Steelers.
Running back Meelde-Moore is a running back with a light body and agile running. He lacks the offensive ability in positional warfare, which limits the effect of attacking the city in the red zone. During the advance in the first half, look for gaps in the defensive front to complete the advance.
Although Moore is in good form this year and his efficiency remains stable, he cannot enrich the Steelers' offensive tactics.
Tight end Heath Miller is a veteran, a two-time Super Bowl winner, and was nominated for the Pro Bowl for the first time in 2009. However, he is in mediocre form this season and has struggled with pick-and-roll and breakthrough abilities. He has been struggling throughout the season. The number of yards and receptions were not enough, and only one touchdown was recorded.
The three wide receivers are Hines-ard (Hines-ard), Mike-Wallace (Mike-allace), and the No. 3 wide receiver position is rotated by substitute players.
Ward is a ten-year veteran, a two-time Super Bowl winner, and the MVP of the 40th Super Bowl. However, his state this year is really unsatisfactory. He only scored two touchdowns in the entire season, and his ability to complete the ball and receive The ability to advance after the ball has not returned to its peak.
Wallace is a third-year player and currently the most consistent receiving spot on the team. Although he has only scored six touchdowns so far, his ability to advance and break through after receiving the ball is his biggest weapon. The average number of yards per reception has reached 16 yards. This is why the Steelers offense has not completely collapsed. important reasons.
It is precisely because of this that the San Francisco 49ers' defensive team is relatively targeted.
The defensive front has always been strong in preventing the run. Moore's two advances could hardly find a gap, and only advanced one yard combined; this also allowed them to exert enough pressure on the pocket to force Roethlisberger to make a hasty shot. , there is no time for observation and layout.
In the panic, Wallace was undoubtedly Roethlisberger's number one choice for advancement, and the 49ers defense team had already been prepared. Not only did they send Reggie Smith, who has been in stable form this season, to guard one-on-one, but also Linebacker Aldon Smith and safety guard C.J. Spielman waited for the opportunity to complete the defense and firmly choked the Steelers' offensive throat.
Targeted defense has immediate results!
The Pittsburgh Steelers only got one first down, playing five offensive plays before striking out. Less than two minutes and 20 seconds after coming on, they immediately left the game.
Unexpectedly, but within reason, the defensive team took the lead in the first wave of attacks of both teams. On the one hand, it was because the players on both sides had not yet fully entered the state, and on the other hand, the weather was so bad. The unexpected impact brought by this also caused an unexpected trend at the beginning of the game, which entered tonight's Monday Night Game in another way.
Lu Ke, who then went into battle again, still couldn't find the feel in the biting cold weather, so that the tactical layout could not see the intention at all, and the effect was naturally impossible to judge.
One run, two yards; one pass, five yards connected, but then tackled to the ground; one pass, under huge pressure from the pocket, was outrageously deflected and the pass was incomplete.
He struck out just after he came on the field and left the field again in a hurry.
As the host of "Monday Night Game", Tirico also expressed his opinion, "Faced with unexpected snowfall, it is indeed easier for the defensive team to get into the state and to perform at its best than the offensive team. Now it seems, The defensive teams of both sides have adapted to the game, implemented the intensity and tactics well, and contributed wonderful performances; then, the key now is who of the defensive teams of both sides can take the lead in establishing a foothold and driving the game, then they will take the lead. Advantage."
As Tirico said, the performance of the offensive team will determine the direction of the next game.
People did not expect that the Pittsburgh Steelers offense would be the first to open up the situation; people even less expected that it was not Roethlisberger who led the Pittsburgh Steelers offense to break the deadlock, but sophomore Antonio Brown.
Antonio Brown, who graduated from Central Michigan University, was an unknown rookie before entering the league.
In high school, Brown was a quarterback, but when he applied for college, he was first rejected by his favorite school because his grades were too bad; then he was offered a scholarship because he made noise on campus and affected safety. He was expelled from the second university; then he had to switch to a wide receiver, arrived at the third university to study, and finally followed the coach who discovered him to Central Michigan University and became an official wide receiver.
However, the football level of Central Michigan University is really mediocre. It has not been able to enter the NCAA's first-level league, and no one knows it at all. Moreover, Brown's own physical condition is average, 5.8 feet (178 cm), 181 pounds (82 kg), it seems that He looks so thin and small that he cannot form an effective confrontation on the rugby field where the competition is extremely fierce.
Last year, Brown declared for the draft.
But last year was a small year for wide receivers. The two top wide receivers, Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant, were not high in the draft, and Brown, who was unremarkable, was even more so. He was little known, and in the end, the Steelers selected him with the 195th pick in the sixth round.
Last year, Brown emerged in the league. In his rookie season, he completed 16 catches and advanced 167 yards. He averaged more than ten yards per catch, which showed his great potential. ; During this season, Brown, as the rotation player of the third wide receiver, has repeatedly performed well at critical moments and won praise from a small number of analysts and commentators.
For other viewers, though, Brown needed more moments to shine.
No one expected that Brown would usher in his battle for fame in this Monday Night Game!
After the San Francisco 49ers struck out, the Pittsburgh Steelers also ushered in a strikeout. The offensive team's performance still did not improve much. After all, the time to adapt to the game was still too short. But surprisingly, the Steelers chose fourth gear. storm.
When the San Francisco 49ers played against the New York Giants, they chose a fourth-down attack in the first wave of offense; but today's situation was different. At that time, the 49ers faced a fourth-down, three-yard attack, and then gained the first offense by deceiving early action tactics. , but today the Steelers faced a fourth-and-six-yard score, and even if they moved early, they could not immediately gain the first offense.
It was under such a crisis that Roethlisberger, under tight defense and pocket pressure, found Antonio Brown who was playing in the rotation——
Brown was double-teamed by two defensive players, near the sideline, leaping high and pocketing the football! And before losing his center of gravity, he firmly controlled his feet within the sideline to ensure that the ball was effective!
