In one of two games involving 2-0 teams on Sunday (Colts-TexansSan Francisco 49ers travel to Heinz Field to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, with Pittsburgh -9 on WagerWeb.com.
Other than New England, Pittsburgh has been the most impressive team in the NFL so far. The Steelers have allowed an NFL-low 10 total points in beating Cleveland and Buffalo. Under first-year coach Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh has won each of its first two games by at least 20 points. The Steelers haven't started 3-0 since 1992 - their first year under Coach Bill Cowher, who resigned in January.
Pittsburgh usually has a stout defense, and its two-week sack total of 10 is tied for the league lead with Minnesota, while the turnover ratio of plus-3 is good for a second-place tie in the AFC. And the offense is doing more than its share. The Steelers are outgaining opponents 393-222. QB Ben Roethlisberger has five touchdown passes and only one interception and running back Willie Parker has 235 yards rushing on 50 carries.
The Steelers are 14-1 in games where Parker reaches triple digits on the ground.
"Willie opens it up for us when he has 100-yard games," wide receiver Nate Washington said. "Teams have to try to stack the box (to slow Parker), but when we're making plays as receivers they have to respect us, so they can't stack the box anymore."
Meanwhile, all Roethlisberger does is win. The fourth-year man is 10-1 in lifetime meetings with NFC foes, tossing 15 TD passes and posting a QB rating of 101.5.
For the first time in nine years, the 49ers are 2-0. But a lot of that had to do with their revamped defense - not to mention a little bit of luck down the stretch. If the Niners want to improve to 3-0 against the 2005 Super Bowl champions, they need a much better performance from quarterback Alex Smith. So far, Smith is 26-for-48 for 252 yards and has a mediocre 69.1 passer rating. The Niners are 5-0, incidentally, when Smith achieves a QB rating of at least 95.0.
Frank Gore represents the bulk of the San Francisco offense. He has run for only 136 yards on 38 carries through two weeks, but he has already scored three times, which is tied for the league lead.
"In the two wins we have, we didn't play our best football all around, (but) this league, it's something different now. Sometimes you're going to win ugly," defensive tackle Bryant Young said.
However, the 49ers got some bad news this week when starting outside linebacker Manny Lawson's anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee was torn in practice.
Lawson, a No. 1 draft choice in 2006, is one of the keys in San Francisco's 3-4 defense; he was tied for second on the team with safety Michael Lewis with 14 tackles (8 solo, 6 assists). He also had a half sack and one pass defensed.
Pittsburgh outside linebacker James Harrison, meanwhile, has been cleared to play despite being carried off the field on a stretcher last weekend.
Look for Pittsburgh to cover in this game.
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