The Pittsburgh Steelers (11-4) kept up the pressure on the Baltimore Ravens at the top of the AFC North with a 27-0 victory over the struggling St. Louis Rams (2-13). The victory was even more impressive considering quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was still inactive as the Steelers seek to ensure ‘Big Ben’ is fully healthy for the rapidly approaching playoffs.

The Steelers quickly moved into the lead, scoring a field goal in the first quarter, and extending their lead to 10 points in the second quarter when rookie running back, John Clay, ran in a 10-yard touchdown. With just a solitary field goal in the third quarter, Pittsburgh entered the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead, and their defense on top of the Rams underpowered offense.

Although struggling in the passing game, the Rams had some success on the ground with running back, Steven Jackson, finishing with 103 yards on 24 carries. This was not enough to claw the game back for St. Louis, however, and they soon fell further behind in the final quarter with rushing touchdowns for both Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman.

Steelers Head Coach, Mike Tomlin, will be pleased with the performance of Mendenhall in the absence of Roethlisberger, as the tailback finished the game with 116 yards on just 18 carries, and was one of the key components in a comfortable victory for Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh offensive line did well to protect quarterback Charlie Batch too, despite Batch lacking the ability of Roethlisberger to keep plays alive, and allowed no sacks on the back-up quarterback. Despite throwing an interception, Batch was also fairly accurate passing the ball, completing 15 of his 22 attempts, for a total of 208 yards. Should Roethlisberger still not be totally healthy for the Steelers last game of the regular season, Batch’s accuracy may make Tomlin’s decision to rest his star quarterback for the playoffs much easier.

The famed Pittsburgh defense was also on form, with Lawrence Timmons, Ziggy Hood, and James Harrison all registering sacks on Kellen Clemens, whilst the Steelers secondary and pass rushers kept the St. Louis quarterback to just 91-yards passing, as well as causing him to connect on just 9 of his 24 attempts.

The article Steelers Cruise to 27-0 Victory over Helpless Rams appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

The Cincinnati Bengals (8-6) kept alive their playoff hopes with a 20-13 victory over the struggling St Louis Rams (2-12). The game started slowly, with the Rams leading 6-3 at half-time, with a touchdown yet to be scored. Mike Nugent leveled the scores early in the third quarter with another field goal, laying the foundations necessary for the Bengals to begin to dominate the game.

Cincinnati moved up into a higher gear and registered two rushing touchdowns, the first from Bernard Scott on a 1-yard run late in the third quarter, and the second from Cedric Benson on a 4-yard run early in the fourth.  St Louis did manage to score a consolation touchdown late in the game, though, with Kellen Clemens finding Danario Alexander with a 25-yard touchdown pass.

There was little to separate the two teams in the running game, with Benson and Steven Jackson collecting 76 and 71 yards respectively on the ground, but the Bengals were able to fall back on the increasingly reliable A. J. Green. The rookie wide receiver managed 115 yards on just six receptions, and continues to set the league alight in his first season. Green is one of the major factors in fellow rookie Andy Dalton’s success so far this season.

Safety Quintin Mikell dominated the Rams defense, registering eight solo tackles, as well as forcing two fumbles as he tried to keep the Rams in the game against a versatile Bengals offense. Both teams’ offenses generally struggled during the game, highlighting a shared inability to convert on third down, with the Bengals only able to move the chains 27% of the time, and the even worse 15% conversion rate of the Rams.

The victory keeps the Bengals in the race for a wildcard spot in the A.F.C. playoffs, and will be a reassuring influence on the young Cincinnati team after they must have feared that their recent poor form was going to take away any chance they had of making the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Rams continue to have a terrible season; the consistency of star running back Jackson is one of the only highlights in what will become a season to forget for St Louis.

Alexey Stiop / Shutterstock.com

The article Bengals Claw Tight Victory over Rams, 20-13 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.