This week, the Pittsburgh Steelers welcome the Arizona Cardinals to Acrisure Stadium in hopes of getting their second week in a row and improving to 8-4. Despite the fact the Cardinals are 2-10 they have their top offensive playmaker back in quarterback Kyler Murray and this completely changes the dynamic of this team.
If the Steelers want to win this week, here are the keys to victory.
Smart football from the stars
Two players in the spotlight this week are outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. Not for their pass rushing but in run support when Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray takes off. Watt and Highsmith want to crash down and make every play but this week they must stay home and keep Murray from breaking contain and pulling off big runs.
Kenny Pickett picks his spots
With the rash of injuries the Cardinals have at cornerback, there’s no reason for Kenny Pickett to do anything but succeed this week. Pickett showed last week he has the skills to make all the throws and against Arizona he has a chance for a huge day.
Run the ball in the rain
It sounds like the game is going to be played in rainy conditions and that should benefit the power run game of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Pittsburgh’s natural surface could be a mess and the Steelers offensive line better be excited about pushing the Cardinals banged-up defensive line around.
Focus on finishing drives
Yards don’t equal points. This was what we saw last week. It was great seeing Pittsburgh finally top 400 yards of offense after so long but when it only generates 16 points, the value of those yards is diminished. This week Pittsburgh has to take those drives and explosive plays and make sure they show up on the scoreboard and not just the boxscore.
