Looking back: The Steelers won during the NFL's first 11-10 final in Week 11, although it should have been 18-10. The game was tight throughout, although Pittsburgh had 410 yards to SD's 218. The Steelers were flagged for 110 more penalty yards but won the turnover battle 2:0. Darren Sproles saw just two touches.
Looking ahead: Expect the red zone to decide the winner, which bodes well for Pittsburgh, as they allowed a touchdown on just 33.3 percent of opponents drives inside the twenty, an NFL-best. San Diego struggled badly traveling to the East Coast this season, but they catch a break with a later start time Sunday. Also, Heinz Field's sloppy turf negates a lot of the Steelers' strength on defense – speed. Still, it's a fantastic unit nevertheless, and Philip Rivers will have to play much better than last week for even a chance at an upset. San Diego has won five straight, and its defense has really improved of late. Pittsburgh can't run the ball, and Ben Roethlisberger had a 6:9 TD:INT ratio at home in 2008. Sproles won't surprise anyone this week, but he's a true difference maker who is a big upgrade over LaDainian Tomlinson. In the end, Pittsburgh probably wins with the help of homefield and a strong defense that creates a couple of turnovers. However, it figures to be close, as history has not been kind to quarterbacks returning from concussions, and Roethlisberger's was especially serious.
What do you guys think?