The Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars will be meeting this Sunday under the primetime lights of Sunday Night Football. The Steelers will be seeking vengeance in Jacksonville after the Jaguars beat the Steelers 31-29, in the AFC Wild Card Game last year at Heinz Field. For the Steelers, it was a disappointing end to a promising season. A win by Pittsburgh would really help solidify them as one of the top Super Bowl contenders in the AFC, but it is going to be tough task with an injury ridden running game.
With Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall and Carey Davis all out with injuries, the only halfback left on the Steelers' depth chart Tuesday morning was Mewelde Moore. Due to these circumstances, the Steelers have signed two familiar faces, Najeh Davenport and Gary Russell. Davenport’s last carry came against the Jaguars in the 2007 AFC Wild Card loss. In his career with the Steelers, Davenport has 763 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Gary Russell is a second year pro, who was brought up from the Steelers practice squad this week. He has 7 carries in his career for 21 rushing yards.
The Steelers will most likely go to air more often than usual on Sunday night because of the weakened running game. No surprises here that the offensive line will have to put on a strong performance for the Pittsburgh offense to succeed, which is easier said than done without the services of guard, Kendall Simmons. They are going to have to give Roethlisberger enough time to look down the field and find the open receiver. It is no secret that every player on the offensive side of the ball will have to step up their game if they want to get a win in Jacksonville.
Offensively, the Steelers can ill-afford to play a first half in which they did against Baltimore last Monday night. The Steelers do have the luxury of going against a rookie quarterback; instead, they will be facing one of the best in David Garrard, and an offense that can put up points.
Keywords: Gary Russell, Jaguars, Najeh Davenport, Steelers
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