Los Angeles Rams – Pittsburgh Steelers
USA - NFL
22/10/2023 - 22:05 CET
The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Arizona Cardinals by 26:9 last week, improving their record to 3-3. The Super Bowl champions from two years ago look better than expected before the season. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is healthy and Cooper Kupp, one of the best wide receivers in football, has returned. In his absence, rookie Puka Nacua excelled, giving head coach Sean McVay two excellent options in that position now. The defense may not have the talent it had in the Super Bowl-winning generation, but Aaron Donald is still there and capable of making a difference, and defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is one of the best in the business. The Rams have left a very positive impression so far, but they have more to prove.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are at 3-2 and enter this game after a bye week, which is an advantage. They had 14 days to prepare for the showdown with the Los Angeles Rams, but the question is whether that will be of help to them. This team's offense is one of the three worst in the NFL, and as a result, almost everyone in Pittsburgh has called for the dismissal of offensive coordinator Matt Canada. It went to the extent that "Fire Canada" chants were heard at a Pittsburgh Penguins hockey game. The problem is that the Steelers are a very proud organization, and they never fired a coordinator during the season in their history, and that won't change this year, even though everyone is aware that Canada doesn't have a solution. Young quarterback Kenny Pickett is suffering the most as a result. Interestingly, the Steelers' defense this season doesn't look impressive either, but somehow they managed to secure three wins. However, in the last round, the Baltimore Ravens had a "de facto" win that they couldn't close out in Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh Steelers always play with incredible energy at home. Although they were a weaker team than the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens, they found a way to get a win. This week, they might have many fans behind them in Los Angeles, but that's not the advantage that "Heinz Field" provides. Their struggles on the road were evident in Houston a few weeks ago when the Texans humiliated them by 30:6. The Los Angeles Rams have a very good offense, and if Stafford doesn't have a catastrophic night, they will surely be able to put more than 20 points on the scoreboard. When it comes to the Steelers, with such an offense, that is not a certain scenario. For any chance based on what we've seen so far, they'll need a perfect game, and even that is not a guarantee of success with this play-calling.