WPIAL Semi-Finals Preview

One step away. One game, one win. From here that is all that it takes to reach Heinz Field. The field of 64 has been whittled down to 16 in the eight semi-final matchups that will kick off on Friday night at 7:30. When the dust settles by midnight on Friday, eight teams will have their tickets punched to Heinz Field on Championship Saturday. In AA, Aliquippa looks to extend their streak of 5 consecutive trips to Heinz Field while in Class A, the Clairton Bears also look for their 6th straight trip to Heinz. I looked back at my preseason predictions this week and amazingly 7 of the 8 teams I predicted to play in their respective championship games are still alive and have a chance to reach the title games. For the record, my preseason picks were: Central over Gateway in AAAA, West A over TJ in AAA, Aliquippa over South Fayette in AA, and Clairton over North Catholic in A.

AAAA

1. Upper St Clair (11-0) vs. 4. Woodland Hills (9-2)

Location: Baldwin

View AAAA Semi 1 in a larger map

Playoff History: Since 1980, Woodland Hills is 4-3 against Upper St Clair

This will be the 4th meeting in the last two seasons between the Panthers and Wolverines. Upper St Clair won both regular season games with Woodland Hills winning in a 42-20 rout in the semi-finals last year. Woody High has won the last 3 postseason games against Upper St Clair and has not lost to the Panthers in the playoffs since 1992. Woody High has featured a dominant rushing attack this season with sophomore Miles Sanders racking up over 1000 yards during the regular season. In the playoffs, the Wolverines got 136 yards and 3 TDs from junior RB Art Thompkins in the first round then 160 yards and 2 TDs on the ground from senior QB Harry Randall. On the other side, the Panthers got a big game from QB Joe Repischak to top North Allegheny and reach the semi-finals. Repischak threw for 257 yards and two scores while adding two more on the ground. The Panthers will need another big game out of Repischak this week after losing 1000-yard rusher Trever Morrow to a knee injury against North Allegheny. Upper St Clair will be on familiar ground, having played their last 4 neutral site playoff games at Baldwin.

2. Central Catholic (11-0) vs 6. Penn-Trafford (8-3)

Location: West Mifflin

View AAAA Semi 2 in a larger map

Playoff History: Since 1980, Central Catholic is 2-0 against Penn-Trafford

This will be the third playoff meeting in the last 6 years. Central Catholic topped Penn-Trafford in the first round in 2008 and 2012. This is Central Catholic's third trip to the semi-finals in the last 4 years but they have not reached Heinz Field since 2007. The Vikings got another big performance from RB Luigi Lista-Brinza in the quarterfinals as he ran for 198 yards and 3 TDs, giving him 317 yards and 4 TDs in two playoff games. Gateway was the first team to score more than 14 points against the Vikings defense, which has been dominant all season. Penn-Trafford is making their first appearance in the semi-finals since the 1997 season where the Warriors went to the Championship Game. The Warriors avenged a 34-14 defeat to McKeesport with a 35-20 victory in the quarterfinals. The victory came at a cost as the Warriors lost 1200-yard rusher Devin Austin to injury after he ran for 140 yards and 2 scores. Senior RB Tom Stinelli stepped in and led the team with 154 yards and a late touchdown to put the game away. The Warriors also got two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) from 1300-yard passer Brett Laffoon.

AAA

1. West Allegheny (11-0) vs. 4. Franklin Regional (10-1)

Location: North Allegheny

View AAA Semi 1 in a larger map

Playoff History: Franklin Regional won the only playoff meeting between the two teams since 1980

The defending AAA Champions continued their run towards a repeat with a dominant 38-7 victory over Indiana in the quarterfinals. West Allegheny has excelled on both sides of the ball, scoring at least 37 points in all but one game (Central Valley) and holding opposing teams under 14 all but once (New Castle). The Indians have a balanced offense with 1200-yard passer Andrew Koester and RBs Chayse Dillon and Tory Delmonico who have combined for over 1600 yards and 28 TDs. In the quarterfinals, Koester threw for over 100 yards and 3 TDs and Dillon racked up 142 yards and a touchdown. Franklin Regional rode timely stands on defense performance against the WPIAL's leading rusher to victory in the quarterfinals. West Mifflin's Jimmy Wheeler ran for 226 yards and two scores, but was stopped three times when it mattered most: on 4th and goal in the first quarter, on a two-point conversion with the Titans trailing 14-12, and on a 4th and 2 late in the 4th quarter with the Titans driving in Franklin Regional territory. Only 17 total passes were attempted by both teams in the game with West Mifflin and Franklin Regional putting up over 430 combined rushing yards. The Panthers got an early touchdown from dual-threat QB Charan Singh, giving him 5 total touchdowns (3 rushing, 2 passing) in the playoffs. Singh leads the Panthers in both passing and rushing with Paul Emanuele and Brett Zanotto both adding over 600 yards on the ground.

2. Thomas Jefferson (11-0) vs 3. Central Valley (10-1)

Location: Chartiers Valley

View AAA Semi 2 in a larger map

Playoff History: Central Valley won the only playoff meeting between the two schools in 2010

Central Valley is quickly becoming the Woodland Hills of Class AAA. In the four years the school has existed since the merger of Center and Monaca, they have reached the semi-finals every year with a WPIAL championship in 2010. The Warriors were carried in the quarterfinals by junior RB Jordan Whitehead who ran for 2 TDs and returned a kickoff for a touchdown. Mars was the first team to break 14 points against the Warriors defense, which as pitched 5 shutouts this season. Central Valley has a pick-6 and a special teams touchdown in both playoff games this year. Thomas Jefferson has been the dominant program in AAA for two decades and is appearing in the semi-finals for the 15th time in the last 16 years. The Jaguars were carried to the semi-finals by Michigan recruit Chase Winovich who ran for 228 yards and 3 scores to lead TJ past Highlands. Winovich is being recruited for his defensive abilities at linebacker and has been the leader of a TJ defense that pitched 5 shutouts and allowed only one team to break 14 points. The defensive stats between TJ and Central Valley are very similar and this figures to be a low-scoring, physical affair.

AA

1. Aliquippa (11-0) vs. 12. Beaver (8-3)

Location: Ambridge

View AA Semi 1 in a larger map

Playoff History: Aliquippa won the only playoff meeting between the two teams since 1980

Midwestern Conference rivals meet again with a trip to the championship game on the line. Aliquippa has not lost to Beaver since 2008 and is seeking to reach the title game for the 6th straight season. The two-time defending champions thrashed Beaver 50-13 in the regular season finale. The Quips have only been held under 42 points once this season when Beaver Falls "held" them to 34. The Quips have a dominant one-two punch in the backfield with Dravon Henry and Terry Swanson who became the first running back tandem in WPIAL history to each rush for 4000 yards. Both Henry and Swanson had two touchdowns to lead the Quips over Quaker Valley and into the semi-finals. Beaver rode another outstanding performance from Alex Rowse, the WPIAL's leading passer to top a run-heavy Mt Pleasant team in the quarterfinals. Rowse threw for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns to give him 2665 yards and 40 touchdowns through the air this season. In the first meeting between these teams, the Quips defense held Rowse (who is averaging 242 yards per game) to just 110.

2. South Fayette (11-0) vs. 6. Beaver Falls (9-2)

Location: Montour

View AA Semi 2 in a larger map

Playoff History: South Fayette is 3-0 against Beaver Falls since moving to AA in 2002.

In what has become an inevitability, South Fayette and Beaver Falls face off in the playoffs for the 4th consecutive year. The Lions won 55-28 in the 2010 semis, 24-14 in the first round in 2011, and 35-21 in the quarterfinals last year. South Fayette has been dominant on both sides of the ball this season, featuring 2500-yard passer Brett Brumbaugh and 1000-yard rusher Grant Fetchet on offense while pitching 5 shutouts and not allowing more than 15 points to any opponent on defense. In the quarterfinals, Brumbaugh threw for 463 yards and 3 TDs with 1000-yard receiver Justin Watson finishing with 181 yards and 2 scores and favorite target Connor Beck finishing with 11 catches for 133 yards and a touchdown. If there is any team that can match up athletically with South Fayette it is Beaver Falls who gave Aliquippa everything they could handle in the regular season. Beaver Falls mercy ruled Yough thanks to 43 first half points in the quarterfinals and have tallied 93 points in two playoff games. 1500-yard passer Dan Stratton has thrown 5 TDs in two playoff games thanks to a passing attack boosted by the return of Division 1 prospect Elijah Cottrill. The Tigers have a balanced offense that can move the ball through the air or on the ground where 1100-yard rusher Damian Rawl has found the end zone 14 times.

A

1. Sto-Rox (11-0) vs. 4. Clairton (9-1)

Location: Chartiers-Houston

View A Semi 1 in a larger map

Playoff History: In 3 playoff meetings since 1980, Clairton leads 2-1

A rematch of the last two Single-A Championship Games will take place not at Heinz Field but at Chartiers-Houston High School. Clairton handily defeated Sto-Rox in the last two championship games and the 5-time defending Class A Champions must find a way to conquer the WPIAL's all-time leading passer if they want to make it back to Heinz Field. The Bears defense has given Lenny Williams fits in the last two championship games, but this young Bears team does not have the experience of its predecessors and is in for a challenge. Last week, the Bears showed they still had the same killer instinct of past Clairton teams, battling back from a 29-14 2nd quarter deficit by scoring 38 unanswered points to top Fort Cherry. Dual-threat QB Aaron Matthews has led the Bears, rushing for over 1000 yards and throwing for over 500 while splitting time at QB with Ryan Williams. The Vikings offense revolves around the Lenny Williams-to-Mallory Claybourne connection which has accounted for 974 yards and 16 scores. Vikings RB Brendan Blair leads the team in scoring with 17 touchdowns and over 700 yards on the ground. Despite throwing his first interception of the season in the quarterfinals, Williams was unstoppable, throwing for over 300 yards and 3 TDs while adding two rushing touchdowns.

2. North Catholic (11-0) vs. 6. Neshannock (9-2)

Location: Mars

View A Semi 2 in a larger map

Playoff History: North Catholic and Neshannock have not met in the playoffs since 1980.

One school will reach the WPIAL Championship game for the first time ever. Until last year, Neshannock had never won a playoff game and now finds themselves in the semi-finals for the second straight year. North Catholic makes their third trip to the semi-finals in the last 6 years and their 5th since 1997 (the last year they played in AAA). The Trojans have adjusted to life without QB Adam Sharlow who was lost for the season in the first meeting between these two teams. In that game, Sharlow had led the Trojans to a 21-7 lead before a knee injury ended his season. North Catholic held on to beat the Lancers 21-14, avenging a 42-7 blowout last year. Junior RB PJ Fulmore has stepped in as the Wildcat QB and put the team on his back in the quarterfinals, rushing 38 times for 182 yards and going 7-for-14 through the air for 115 yards. Fulmore accounted for all the Trojans scoring with a touchdown pass, a touchdown run, and a 2-point conversion. The Trojans will need a similar performance from Fulmore if they are going to reach the Championship Game for the first time in school history. On the other side, Neshannock knocked Monessen from the playoffs for the second consecutive season due to a dominant rushing attack. The Lancers two-headed beast in the backfield of Eli Owens and Ernie Burkes accounted for all 5 of Neshannock's scores against Monessen. Owens (a 1400-yard rusher) ran for 136 yards and 1 score while Burkes (who has 1000 yards rushing and passing) ran for 108 yards and 2 scores and threw for 86 yards and 2 scores. The difference in this game could be the Trojans defense, which was the only unit to hold Neshannock under 30 points this season.

Winging It: Steelers Win

It was a cold, windy day at Heinz Field, which must have made the plethora of Bills fans in attendance feel right at home. It shouldn't really be a surprise, given the state of the Bills franchise and their lack of success over the last decade their entire history, but I don't think I've ever seen a group of opposing fans with a lower football acumen than the group that came down from Buffalo.

I actually saw more than one adult human being wearing one of these:

To a professional football game.

The Steelers get the ball first and go right to The Prescription to get things rolling. Bell gets us out across the 40 on his own then Ben hits Cotch on a short out on 3rd down that he spins upfield and takes it down the sideline for 26 yards. Two plays later, Ben tries to find Wheaton on a fly route but he badly underthrows it to the inside and Jarius Byrd swoops in and picks it off, bringing it all the way back to the Steelers 30.

Underrated play: Markus Wheaton running all the way back from the goal line to make the tackle 70 yards back upfield.

With EJ Manuel returning from injury, the Bills came out pretty vanilla with CJ Spiller. William Gay kicked off a great game by coming up and making some tackles on Spiller to prevent him from getting the corner. Gay commits a terrible pass interference penalty, pushing over the receiver on an uncatchable pass that gives the Bills a free first down, but that was really his only mistake all day. The Bills keep it on the ground with Manuel converting a 3rd down with his feet but the defense stands strong at the goal line and holds them to 3.

0-3

The Steelers do absolutely nothing and a failed WR screen draws some boos from the frustrated crowd. Thankfully, the Bills respond with their own 3-and-out, because they're the Bills.

The Steelers remain trapped in bad field position and unable to flip the field with the wind in the face and go 3-and-out again. The Bills continue to control field position with the ball near midfield but go 3-and-out again.

For those keeping score at home, that's a turnover and two 3-and-outs for the Steelers in their 3 first quarter drives. They do work their way into 3rd and 1 as the quarter expires.

Second Quarter

Jonathan Dwyer gets his token short-yardage carry and gashes the Bills for 6 yards and a first down. Dwyer converts another 3rd and short to get us to midfield then it's back to The Prescription. The Steelers go back to the Wildcat with a twist - Heath slides in at tackle on the weak side with an overset line with 3 tackles on the strong side. Sanders comes in motion and gets the handoff with Ben floating back towards the backfield. Alonso slashes towards Ben as Sanders fakes the toss back which gives Manny a hole to turn it up and he dashes for 25 yards down the sideline.

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The Prescription takes over from there, taking us down inside the 10, but Ben gets sacked on 3rd and goal. Suisham is as Suisham does.

3-3

CJ Spiller was largely ineffective, so the Bills went with Fred Jackson for much of this game. The Steelers lost Shamarknado when he twisted his ankle trying to make a cut, which turned into a big gain for Stevie Johnson. That was really all the Bills did, but it was enough to get them to midfield and pin us back again.

The Steelers running backs continue to control the show as The Prescription takes a shovel pass from a falling Big Ben through the teeth of the Bills defense for a big 30-yard gain to get us out of trouble. Dwyer takes over from there, picking up a key first down to move us into field goal range. After a timeout, Ben hits AB on a beautiful back shoulder throw down the sideline to get us inside the 5. Ben lulls the defense to sleep with a play-action pass and floats a beautiful throw to Cotch in the back corner of the end zone.

10-3

The Bills get a shot at a 2-minute drive and pick up one first down, but the defense holds as William Gay makes a big tackle on third down.

With 40 seconds and 1 timeout, you would think the Steelers would have a chance to get into field goal range, but they waste 20 seconds after a TE screen and don't get their second play off until there are 19 ticks left. Ben hits AB a few times on the sideline to get across the 40, but time runs out.

Halftime

It was cold at Heinz Field. Gretz from Steelers Lounge (one of our favorite Steelers blogs) tells a harrowing tale of the absolute shitshow that is Heinz Field security.

Also, apparently the NFL Network thinks that just because the Steelers are 2-6 that Ben will want out of town. Yeah, that makes no sense. Anyone with a half-decent working knowledge of how the Salary Cap works knows that's not going to happen.

Third Quarter

The Bills get the ball first and are able to move the ball out across midfield, mostly on the legs of Fred Jackson. On third down, Timmons is playing as a backside QB spy and absolutely lights up Manuel as he drifts in the pocket for a big sack.

The Steelers are finally able to get in control of the field position battle by moving the ball out to midfield on a big pass to AB, but Ben gets sacked on 3rd down, ending the drive. Ben fumbled on the sack but was thankfully able to recover the ball, which might have been one of the most under-rated plays of the game. Rather than the Bills getting the ball at the Steelers 40, a good punt and a penalty gave them the ball at the 8. That's a 52-yard swing.

Manuel hits a few passes, but the Bills don't really mount a threat and punt it back to the Steelers. AB breaks up the middle on the return and was a block away from taking it to the house. Nevertheless, the Steelers took over at the 42.

Ben goes play-action out of a heavy set with Adams at TE and finds AB on a deep cross that he spins back to the middle of the field and takes all the way into the red zone. The drive stalls out but the entire Bills D-line jumps offside on the field goal attempt, which gives the Steelers new life. AB gets it to the 2 on a WR screen then The Prescription punches it in right behind an Adams pancake.

17-3

The teams exchange 3-and-outs and that pretty much winds out the quarter. The Bills take control of field position again after Ben gets sacked.

Fourth Quarter

The Bills move the ball into Steelers territory, but make the strange decision to punt on 4th and 5 at the Steelers 36 rather than trying to go for it down by 2 scores. I can understand not attempting a 53-yard field goal from there, but punting here was basically giving up from Doug Marrone.

The Steelers continued dominating on the ground with Felix Jones and Dwyer picking up some chunks of yardage to move us out across the 40. The drive stalls out and Ben is sacked on 3rd down.

Renegade.

EJ Manuel played at Florida State, but obviously never saw anything like Renegade, because he shit himself and badly underthrew a receiver and Ryan Clark comes across and makes the pick. Clark makes some moves on the return and brings it all the way back to the 13.

With the ball at the 13, you would think an NFL offense should be able to score a touchdown. But Haley goes back to the motif offense with two runs that go backwards then a low-percentage throw for the back corner of the end zone on 3rd down. Field goal.

20-3

The defense was feeling it at this point and Jarvis Jones comes up with his first career sack followed by a Cam Heyward sack which punctuates a 3-and-out.

AB gets the corner on the punt return and speeds down the sideline, getting all the way down to the 11 before he's brought down.

The Steelers get their second crack at scoring a touchdown from inside the 15 but can't do it this time either, going run-run-pass once again. Another low-percentage throw on an attempted fade to Heath on 3rd down.

Two field goals on drives that started at the 15 and 11. Yikes.

23-3

The Bills take over with 4 and a half minutes left and actually start to move the ball on a few completions to the tight ends. The Bills don't do anything spectacular, but just keep working the short passes with the Steelers in shell coverage and pick their way down into Steelers territory. With the ball at the 6, Manuel appears to be sacked and fumble with the Steelers recovering. However, the refs ruled after replay that Manuel's arm was coming forward and that it was an incomplete pass.

To be honest, this looked like more of a fumble than Ben's "fumble" against the Giants last year, but Scott Green (who was also responsible for the "not a fumble" ruling in the Steelers-Chargers 11-10 game a few years back) really doesn't know a fumble when he sees one. Sadly, I can't find a replay of this one anywhere online.

On 3rd down, Manuel completes a pass and Ike and the defense stack up the receiver and knock the ball out, with the Steelers recovering. Scott Green and company have clearly checked out at this point because they call the receiver down by contact when he was never down. They also refuse to review the play.

The Bills get it down inside the 5 and take a timeout with 5 seconds left just to run a 4th down play because they're dicks like that.

On 4th down, TE Chris Gragg clearly leaves before the snap, but the refs don't care and don't throw a flag and Manuel finds him for a touchdown as time expires.

Gragg is clearly leaving his stance with the ball still on the ground. I would say I don't know how they missed this, but it's Scott Green's crew and they are terrible.

23-10.

Game

Gameday: Buffalo Bills

1:00pm

Heinz Field

TV: CBS

Radio: WDVE and other affiliates

What To Watch For

1. Um...

The fact that winning a home game against Buffalo is even being thought about as a game that the Steelers might not win should tell you everything you need to know about this season.

2. Stop the Run

The Steelers haven't been able to do this all year. The Raiders and Patriots have put up 197 rushing yards on them in back to back weeks. Now we have to face a fully healthy CJ Spiller and a bruising Fred Jackson. The Bills will lean heavily on their running game with QB EJ Manuel making his return from injury.

3. The Legend of Kiko Alonso

If you haven't heard of this yet, you will soon. One of our blogging buds and co-founder of the #BillsMafia movement @mrdeadlier also started the Legend of Kiko Alonso after the Bills rookie ILB's string of ridiculous play to start the season. Alonso, a second-round pick out of Oregon, has been all over the field and is pretty much involved in every tackle.

4. No Turnovers

The Steelers are 0-6 in games when they turn the ball over 2 or more times. They are 2-0 in games where they have turned it over less than twice. Last week against New England we committed two turnovers in the first quarter, the second of which Brady turned into a quick 7 points. The Steelers aren't built to play from behind, even though that is what they have been doing for most of the season. If the Steelers are going to win today, the offense can't give the ball away to the Bills defense and give EJ Manuel extra drives.

5. Block

The Steelers offensive line is banged up. David DeCastro should be back from his ankle injury, but both Mike Adams and Marcus Gilbert are questionable. The Bills are tied for 3rd in the league in sacks and will likely be in Ben's grill all day. The Steelers could take some pressure off if they had a competent running game, and even though Le'Veon Bell has shown flashes of ability, the Steelers line has not blocked very well all year. If the Steelers can contain the Bills pass rush, they will have a chance today.

WPIAL Quarterfinals Results

Final Scores from tonight's games.

AAAA

1. Upper St Clair 41, 9. North Allegheny 23

4. Woodland Hills 28, 5. Seneca Valley 14

6. Penn-Trafford 35, 3. McKeesport 20

2. Central Catholic 27, 7. Gateway 21

Semi-Finals Matchups

Upper St Clair vs Woodland Hills

Penn-Trafford vs Central Catholic

AAA

1. West Allegheny 38, 9. Indiana 7

4. Franklin Regional 14, 5. West Mifflin 12

3. Central Valley 35, 6. Mars 21

2. Thomas Jefferson 23, 7. Highlands 14

Semi-Finals Matchups

West Allegheny vs Franklin Regional

Central Valley vs Thomas Jefferson

AA

1. Aliquippa 43, 8. Quaker Valley 26

12. Beaver 21, 4. Mt Pleasant 7

6. Beaver Falls 43, 14. Yough 7

2. South Fayette 31, 10. Seton-La Salle 7

Semi-Finals Matchups

Aliquippa vs Beaver

Beaver Falls vs South Fayette

A

1. Sto-Rox 42, 9. Apollo-Ridge 20

4. Clairton 52, 12. Fort Cherry 35

6. Neshannock 35, 3. Monessen 6

2. North Catholic 14, 7. Avonworth 7

Semi-Finals Matchups

Sto-Rox vs Clairton

Neshannock vs North Catholic

WPIAL Playoff Preview: Quarterfinals

As we move into the quarterfinals, games move to neutral site locations. MSA Sports has a fantastic set of game recaps for the first round games which featured upsets of the #3 seed Kittanning and #5 seed Shady Side Academy in AA. It was a bad opening week for the Allegheny Conference in AA and Tri-County South Conference in A, which both went 0-4. The Game of the Week in the opening round was the clash between West Mifflin and Moon where RBs Jimmy Wheeler and Cole Blake traded punches until the end. When the dust settled, Wheeler's 359 yards and 6 TDs topped Blake's 305 yards and 4 TDs and propelled West Mifflin to a 47-42 victory. On a broader scale, 6 schools extended lengthy streaks of consecutive years reaching the Quarterfinals. Thomas Jefferson has reached the quarterfinals in 19 straight seasons, Gateway in 12 straight years, Central Catholic in 11, and North Allegheny, Aliquippa and Clairton in 8 straight seasons.

AAAA

1. Upper St Clair (10-0) vs 9. North Allegheny (7-3)

Location: Baldwin

View AAAA Qtr 1 in a larger map

Forget about the teams and the records, this is Jim Render vs Art Walker, two of the best coaches in the WPIAL. If there is one coach that has been able to get the best of Render, it has been Walker. The top-seeded Panthers got to this point with a stifling defense that pitched 6 shutouts during the regular season. In the first round of the playoffs they did it on the ground with RB Trever Morrow rushing 11 times for 157 yards and scoring 5 times. It was the second straight year Upper St Clair started their playoff run with a victory over Kiski. North Allegheny knocked Bethel Park out of the playoffs for the second consecutive year and the 3rd time in 4 years with a 28-0 shutout where neither team's starting quarterback played. Senior RB Isaac Weaver led the Tigers with 6 carries for 121 yards and 3 TDs. This figures to be another defensive struggle between two good teams with legendary coaches that last met in the 2011 Championship Game.

4. Woodland Hills (8-2) vs 5. Seneca Valley (9-1)

Location: North Allegheny

View AAAA Qtr 2 in a larger map

After starting the season 0-2, Woodland Hills has run off 8 straight victories and the Wolverines look better and better each week. The Wolverines were not phased by Pine-Richland's high-powered offense last week and even though they surrendered almost 250 yards passing, they held the Rams to just 14 points. Woody High boasts a dangerous offensive attack with 1000-yard rusher Miles Sanders, the explosive Art Thompkins (who ran for 136 yards and 3 TDs in the first round) and dual-threat QB Harry Randall. Seneca Valley was a bit of a surprise this year, but their only loss was to Central Catholic and they posted big wins over North Allegheny and Bethel Park. The Raiders are led by dual-threat QB TJ Holl who threw for over 1800 yards and rushed for over 700. All told, Holl put up over 2500 yards of total offense and 27 TDs this season.

2. Central Catholic (10-0) vs 7. Gateway (8-2)

Location: Fox Chapel

View AAAA Qtr 3 in a larger map

Another week, another dominating performance on the ground for Central Catholic as the Vikings dismantled Baldwin 56-10 to reach the quarterfinals for the 11th straight season. The Vikings ground game has been so good this season that their Florida State recruit at QB has only had to attempt 61 passes. In the opening round he only attempted 3 while Central rushed for over 400 yards as a team, led by Luigi Lista-Brinza's 119 yards and 1 touchdown. Gateway stopped their losing streak at 2 games to get past North Hills after the Indians took a 1-point lead with under 7 minutes to play. The Gators were led by QB Jimmy Moore who threw for 289 yards and 4 TDs to 4 different receivers. Gateway easily has the best receiving corps in Western Pennsylvania with at least 3, possibly 4 players who will play at the D1 level.

3. McKeesport (10-0) vs 6. Penn-Trafford (7-3)

Location: Norwin

View AAAA Qtr 4 in a larger map

The Tigers remained undefeated by trouncing Peters Twp 54-28. McKeesport's flexbone offense was back in vintage form with three players finding the end zone at least twice against Peters. In their first meeting, McKeesport did much of the same, running out to a 34-14 win over Penn-Trafford. The Tigers can hit you in a variety of ways out of the flexbone with RB Mikell Moore shouldering the primary workload, but QB David Queen and RB Allen Wright can also be dangerous. Penn-Trafford didn't have much of an answer the first time these two teams met. The Warriors have a balanced offense with a 1200-yard passer in sophomore Brett Laffoon and a 1100-yard rusher in Devin Austin.

AAA

1. West Allegheny (10-0) vs 9. Indiana (5-5)

Location: North Hills

View AAA Qtr 1 in a larger map

The defending AAA champions handled Hollidaysburg in convincing fashion in the opening round. West Allegheny might have one of the deepest teams in the WPIAL and feature a stable of running backs that can all get the job done. Chayse Dillon and Tory Delmonico have been the primary workhorses this season and QB Andrew Koester has thrown for over 1000 yards. The Little Indians topped Ringgold 28-14 in the opening round, reaching the quarterfinals for the 3rd time in their last 4 playoff appearances. DeQuan West scored twice and posted over 100 yards on Ringgold in the opening round. Indiana is not a great defensive team, but they have relied on their defense to keep them in games this season. The Little Indians are just 1-5 when an opponent scores over 20 on them. The bad news for Indiana is that aside from their 13-7 win over Central Valley, West Allegheny has not been held under 38 points all season.

4. Franklin Regional (9-1) vs 5. West Mifflin (9-1)

Location: East Allegheny

View AAA Qtr 2 in a larger map

The Panthers muscled their way past Montour, doubling up the Spartans 42-21 in the opening round. Dual-threat QB Charan Singh, who entered the playoffs as the leading passer and the second leading rusher, ran for two scores and threw for two. The Panthers were once again a stifling defensive unit, posting 5 shutouts during the regular season. They will have their hands full with Jimmy Wheeler, the WPIAL's leading rusher. In the opening round, Wheeler put the Titans on his back, rushing for 359 yards and 6 TDs as West Mifflin held off Moon. Wheeler has posted 35 touchdowns on the season, and the Titans fate has been tied to his ability to produce. If Franklin Regional is going to have any hopes of advancing to the semi-finals for the second time in four years, they will need to find a way to copy Thomas Jefferson's defensive scheme and stop Wheeler.

2. Thomas Jefferson (10-0) vs 7. Highlands (7-3)

Location: Chartiers Valley

View AAA Qtr 3 in a larger map

If two things are synonymous in the WPIAL playoffs, it's Thomas Jefferson and the quarterfinals. TJ has advanced past the first round for 19 straight seasons, reaching the semi-finals in 14 of the last 15 years. They have a team built to go the distance again this year with QB/LB Chase Winovich who has verbally committed to play linebacker at Michigan. TJ blew out Hampton in the opening round 39-0 getting 4 touchdowns from Austin Kemp and holding Hampton to just 10 yards rushing and 40 yards of total offense in the Jaguar defense's 5th shutout of the season. Highlands rebounded from a loss to Knoch in the season finale to earn a surprising victory over New Castle in the opening round. The Rams got two touchdown passes from QB Blake Leri and got a 100-yard performance from their feature back, 1000-yard rusher Elijah Jackson.

3. Central Valley (9-1) vs 6. Mars (9-1)

Location: Ambridge

View AAA Qtr 4 in a larger map

For the second consecutive year, Central Valley beat Belle Vernon in the first round. This year, the Warriors did it with defense and special teams, scoring their first 3 touchdowns off short fields created by turnovers then adding a pick-6 and a punt return in the second half en route to a 40-7 victory. Central Valley boasts the best scoring defense in AAA, giving up only 53 points on the season with 5 shutouts on their resume. No team has scored more than 14 points against them, including top-seeded West Allegheny (who beat Central Valley 13-7). Mars got a big performance in the opening round from 1500-yard rusher Josh Schutheis, who ran for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Planets 38-21 victory over Elizabeth Forward. This should be a good matchup as the best defense in AAA meets the second best offense. Mars has only been held under 38 points once this season, and that was in a 20-13 loss in the opening week to Franklin Regional.

AA

1. Aliquippa (10-0) vs 8. Quaker Valley (8-2)

Location: Moon

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The Qupis continued their stifling defense, pitching their 4th shutout of the season against South Park in the opening round to reach the quarterfinals for the 8th consecutive season. Their two-headed beast of Terry Swanson and Dravon Henry combined for almost 200 yards and two scores each against the Eagles. The duo has combined for nearly 2000 yards on the ground this season and QB Darrien Fields has yet to throw an interception. The defense has been fantastic all season and forced 5 turnovers against South Park. Quaker Valley, in the playoffs for the first time since 1999, got two big rushing touchdowns from QB Dane Jackson to lift the Quakers over New Brighton. The Quakers spread the attempts around and have 3 players with 70+ carries on the season with Jackson accounting for over 1400 yards of total offense and 18 TDs between rushing and passing.

4. Mt Pleasant (10-0) vs 12. Beaver (7-3)

Location: Plum

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Mt Pleasant won a battle of the Vikings by trouncing Valley 49-14 in the opening round. Mt Pleasant has been carried by RB Tyler Mellors, who broke the school's rushing record this season with over 1300 yards, to an undefeated season. Mellors continued his hot streak, running for 228 yards and 4 touchdowns against Valley. This is a game that features a contrast of styles as the ground-and-pound Mt Pleasant will be tasked with trying to stop the WPIAL's leading passer. Alex Rowse led the Bobcats with over 2100 passing this season and had a monster game of 294 yards and 3 TDs against Shady Side Academy.

2. South Fayette (10-0) vs 10. Seton-La Salle (8-2)

Location: Peters Twp

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South Fayette continued their absolute domination of every team with a 49-0 drubbing of Greensburg Central Catholic in the first round. It was the Lions 4th straight shutout and their defense has yet to give up more than 15 points in a game. The Lions offense has been equally dominant, scoring 41+ in every game this season with QB Brett Brumbaugh throwing for over 1900 yards and RB Grant Fetchet rushing for over 900. South Fayette tallied 366 yards of total offense against GCC with Brumbaugh throwing 3 touchdown passes and Fetchet adding two TDs on the ground. Seton-La Salle held off Washington, holding off a late charge from the Little Prexies and ending their tumultuous season. The Rebels built a 35-14 lead after 3 quarters but two fourth quarter touchdowns gave Washington hope before an interception in the final minute ended their comeback bid. All told, the Rebels defense forced 6 turnovers and they got another strong performance from 1800-yard passer Tyler Perrone who threw for 353 yards and 4 TDs. In their first meeting, South Fayette dominated their conference rivals 45-3.

6. Beaver Falls (8-2) vs 14. Yough (6-4)

Location: Canon-McMillan

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The Tigers are laced with Division 1-caliber talent, including Akron recruit Elijah Cottrill and WVU recruit Sage Curry. Cottrill missed most of the season with a knee injury, but his return for the playoffs has boosted the Tigers into serious contenders for the WPIAL title. He gives 1100-yard passer Dan Stratton another weapon on the outside while 1000-yard rusher Damian Rawl continues to grind away behind a solid offensive line that has paved the way for 5 different backs to average over 8 yards per carry. The Tigers blasted Summit Academy in the first round to reach the quarterfinals for the 6th time in 7 years. Yough battled out an upset against Allegheny Conference Champion Kittanning, pulling out a 57-42 victory in the third highest scoring game in WPIAL playoff history. Cougars QB Tyler Donahue led the team to their first playoff win in school history with 244 yards and 2 TDs through the air, 141 yards and 2 TDs on the ground and a kickoff return for a touchdown. Yough and Beaver Falls were two of the top 5 scoring teams in AA this year, but Beaver Falls was much stronger on defense than the Cougars. There will be plenty of points scored in this one.

A

1. Sto-Rox (10-0) vs 9. Apollo-Ridge (8-2)

Location: Deer Lakes

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In the first round we had a battle of the Vikings between Mt Pleasant and Valley in Class AA. In the quarterfinals we get another Viking showdown between Sto-Rox and Apollo-Ridge. Both teams feature explosive passing attacks with Sto-Rox boasting the WPIAL's all-time leading passer in Lenny Williams. Williams has thrown for over 2000 yards this season with almost 900 of those going to Mallory Clayborn. Senior RB Brendan Blair led the way in the opening round with two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown. Apollo-Ridge has relied heavily on QB Jesse Zelonka all season. Zelonka has over 1400 yards passing and leads the team in rushing with over 700 yards, topping 2200 yards of total offense and 27 total touchdowns. He single-handedly beat undefeated Tri-County South Champion Beth-Center in the opening round by rushing for two scores and throwing for three more, two of those going to standout junior WR Tre Tipton. Zelonka finished with 183 passing yards and 3 TDs and 156 rush yards and 2 scores for a total of 339 yards of total offense and 5 total touchdowns.

4. Clairton (9-1) vs 12. Fort Cherry (9-1)

Location: Elizabeth Forward

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In a rematch of two teams that tied for the Black Hills Conference Title with Monessen, the Bears and the essential 5th seeded Rangers will square off. It seems strange that the WPIAL would put this game at Elizabeth Forward, which is basically in Clairton's back yard, rather than at a location more centrally located like Dormont Stadium or Mt Lebanon. Clairton ended Frazier's season for the second straight year and advanced to their 8th consecutive quarterfinals as they search for their 6th straight WPIAL title. The Bears are brimming with young talent, led by sophomore Aaron Matthews who scored 4 times in the opening round and had 194 yards of total offense between rushing and receiving. Fort Cherry is led by senior do-it-all superstar Koltan Kobrys who rushed for over 2000 yards this season, including 199 in the opening round against Carmichaels. The Rangers got a scare from the Mighty Mikes, who had a pass into the end zone at the end of the game that fell incomplete. Clairton beat Fort Cherry 36-28 in their first meeting and while the Bears don't have their typically-dominant offense, they have only been held under 30 points once this year (in their 42-24 loss to Monessen). Fort Cherry and Monessen were the only two teams to score more than 13 points on the Bears defense.

2. North Catholic (10-0) vs 7. Avonworth (9-1)

Location: Hampton

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The Eastern Conference Champion Trojans methodically took apart Western Beaver in the opening round with a stout defensive effort that forced two turnovers and held the Golden Beavers to just 7 first downs. The Trojans have adapted to life without QB Adam Sharlow and used a combination of RB PJ Fulmore and WR Ryan Kirby to fill in. Both Fulmore and Kirby threw touchdown passes to TE Ronny Meder and a balanced Trojan attack rushed for 192 yards and threw for 199. Avonworth has a deadly offense when all of its weapons are functioning, which they did against Laurel in the opening round. 1000-yard passer Matt Donovan threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns while star receiver Jesse Zubik had 95 yard rushing and a touchdown along with 79 yards receiving and a score. In the first meeting between these conference rivals, Avonworth missed two extra points which allowed the Trojans to carry a 13-12 lead into the waning minutes of the game. Avonworth had the ball with under a minute to play but threw a pick-6 that ultimately resulted in a 21-12 victory for North Catholic. This will be the third meeting between the Lopes and Trojans in the playoffs in the last 6 years, as North Catholic looks to settle the score for 2008 and 2010 defeats.

3. Monessen (9-1) vs 6. Neshannock (8-2)

Location: Chartiers-Houston

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The Black Hills Conference Co-Champion Greyhounds handled West Shamokin in the first round thanks to a stellar effort by RB Clintell Gillaspie. Gillaspie rushed for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns, adding a fourth on a reception. Monessen has featured a well-balanced attack this year with Gillaspie rushing for over 1100 yards and QB Noah Rullo throwing for over 1200. This is a rematch of the quarterfinal matchup last year where Neshannock prevailed 24-21. Neshannock returns most of their talent from the team that beat Monessen last year, including dual-threat QB Ernie Burkes who threw for over 900 yards and 14 TDs and rushed for over 900 and 16 TDs this season. RB Eli Owens rushed for over 1300 yards and added 12 scores. In the opening round, Burkes carried the Lancers past Brentwood, rushing for two scores and throwing for another as Neshannock piled up 378 rushing yards with Burkes and Owens both going over 140.

The Boston Massacre: Steelers Lose

The Steelers lost 55-31. You really don't want to read a play-by-play recap of this game. There really isn't any consolation in this game. The Steelers are 2-6. This is an awful team. They got behind to start the game, battled back to force a tie and then fell into a script we've seen all too often against Brady. The Patriots build a lead, the Steelers give them the ball back, and the lead grows. The Steelers then might score to cut into the lead, but they never get within striking distance because the Patriots just keep scoring. The only reprieve is when the clock hits zeros. In this one, it was decidedly worse than any other Steelers-Patriots game in the past, but to be honest, we've seen this script before.

Tom Brady has had some career games against the Steelers. His best to date was a 32-for-46 for 399 yards and 4 TDs drubbing in the Anthony Smith game, which the Patriots won 34-13. Let that sink in for a minute. The Anthony Smith game where we all remember Brady absolutely lighting up the Steelers secondary was actually CLOSER than this game was.

That's right. The Patriots at the height of their dynasty, in the midst of an undefeated regular season with the Steelers starting Anthony Smith and Tyrone Carter at safety, was actually a closer game and allowed less yards and less points than we did in this one. The Steelers only allowed two 100-yard receivers in that game (Randy Moss had a 7/135/2 line and Jabar Gaffney posted 7/122/1 while Wes Welker tallied 9/78/1). I don't even know where to go from there.

In 2010, Brady and the Patriots jumped out to a 10-0 lead and extended it to 23-3 by the end of the 3rd quarter. The Steelers roared back in the 4th quarter to cut the lead to 29-18, but they could get no closer as Brady led a scoring drive that pretty much iced the game. Even that game, a  where Brady was 30-for-43 for 350 yards and 3 TDs was a better defensive performance than this game.

So let's start with Brady. In both of the other trouncings Brady attempted over 43 passes and completed at least 30. In this game, he only ATTEMPTED 33 passes and completed just 23 of them. 23 completions. For 432 yards. That's right, Brady topped his 2007 game where he threw for 399 yards by throwing for 33 more yards on 9 less completions. And that's not even including the 55 free yards the Steelers gave away on 3 pass interference penalties. Here's an exclusive look at a conversation Gronk and Amendola had with Brady on the sideline:

Pretty much, though you could also include Aaron Dobson. It makes you wonder if the Steelers defense was even on the field. Rob Gronkowski came out of the game with 9 receptions for 143 yards and a score, Amendola tallied 4 catches for 122 yards and a score and Dobson had 5 catches for 130 yards and 2 scores, including an 81-yard touchdown where he blew past Ike Taylor and Ryan Clark.

To cap things off from a downright shameful defensive effort, Stevan Ridley had 115 yards and 2 TDs on the ground with LeGarrette Blount adding 47 yards and a score at the end of the game that literally drove the nail into the coffin of the Steelers season. Blount was bottled up by the defense with Ziggy wrapped around his shoulders, Timmons around his feet and McLendon pushing behind Ziggy. He was somehow able to spin out of that and then dive into the end zone with Ryan Clark alligator-arming a tackle. Seriously, I don't even know what Clark was trying to do. Actually, that seems increasingly true for every play that Ryan Clark is involved in.

Of course, all the rhetoric this week will be about how the Patriots executed better and how the team is embarrassed and how they will vow to be better in the future. That sounds good to the media, but until we actually see some improvement on the field, it's all just empty talk. Mike Tomlin can say all he wants about holding players accountable for poor efforts, but until he actually benches a veteran like Ryan Clark rather than just swapping out young players like Ziggy Hood and Jarvis Jones, it will mostly be empty threats. Of course, there is a difference between coaching and on-field performance. However, when you have a blueprint that works then refuse to replicate it, something is obviously wrong. In their last meeting, Dick LeBeau devised a defensive scheme that shut Brady down to the tune of 24-for-35 for 198 yards and a long of 23 yards. That game featured rookie CB Cortez Allen matching up exclusively against Gronkowski and the corners playing press coverage on the outside. That defense suffocated the Patriots offense. 

In this game, Dick LeBeau went back to the formula which has never worked against Brady: corners playing soft on the outside and the defense playing zone (rather than man) behind the blitz. As I mentioned, Brady's longest completion in their last meeting was for 23 yards. In this game he had 5 passes (2 for touchdowns) longer than 23 yards. Let's look at the 57-yard completion to Danny Amendola.

Here pre-snap we see a number of things that indicate a problem for the Steelers defense. First is personnel. It's a first and 10 and the Steelers are in their base 3-4 defense while the Patriots have 3 wide receivers spread across the field. Ike Taylor is giving Julian Edleman a 7-yard cushion at the bottom of the screen while William Gay is giving Dobson a 10-yard cushion at the top. As for Danny Amendola, he is the only one that has a defender lined up close to him, but that defender is not nickel back Cortez Allen or even a defensive back, but rather linebacker LaMarr Woodley. You don't have to be Tom Brady to have a giant red flag got up when you see Woodley on Amendola. With the Patriots in 11 personnel, the fact that the Steelers countered with their base defense is asinine. There was absolutely a breakdown in coverage on this play, but there was also a breakdown in coaching not putting the right personnel on the field to cover it.

All five receivers get free releases, with the 3 WRs all easily getting to the second level behind the linebackers, stressing the Steelers secondary. If you watch the replay a few times, it's pretty easy to figure out what the route combination was that the Patriots ran. It looked something like this:

The basic concept here is one designed for a moderate gain against a Cover-Two defense. The two vertical routes will stretch the two deep safeties, pulling them down the field which should allow for the middle crossing route (Edleman) to be open behind the linebackers (who should be drawn up into coverage by the running back (Blount) and tight end running short routes. This is where the problem with personnel comes into play. From the tape, it seems the Steelers are running some kind of zone concept, which they are forced into because they do not have enough cover corners to match up with the Patriots receivers.

Looking at the Steelers defensive concept, it appears that they are in some sort of Cover One or Cover Three. At the top, Gay runs deep with Dobson while Woodley buzzes out to play zone in the flat. Troy is playing deep. I'm not sure if he was supposed to be playing deep center or deep right. If he was playing deep center in a Cover One concept, then he made the mistake by drifting towards Dobson on the right rather than covering Amendola on the left. If he was playing deep right, the pass was actually Ryan Clark's fault (which I'll get to in a minute). The two middle linebackers are also in short zones, and their attention is drawn by the RB and TE. I'm not sure what Ike was doing at the bottom of the screen. He wasn't in man coverage because after Edleman got a free release, he was able to run past the linebackers and across the middle of the field. Edleman's route is what really caused the problems for the Steelers. If you watch the replay, you will see Ryan Clark leave his safety position and suck up towards Edleman once he gets past the linebackers. The problem here is that with Edleman running from left to right, this draws Clark away from the left side of the field, allowing Amendola to drift freely from the middle of the field to the left side, where there are no defenders. 

This image sums it up perfectly. Clark breaks towards Edleman and runs right past Amendola. Troy's head is looking directly at Dobson, on whom Will Gay actually has decent coverage. Brady sees this and comes up firing. 

57 yards later, Amendola has the Patriots inside the 20 and ready to score again.

What we have here is the perfect example of why the Steelers have been so bad this year. 

1. The coaches did not put the proper personnel on the field to defend the Patriots 3-wide set. Now, before you can think that this happened because the Steelers did not have a chance to substitute, think again. The play directly before this was a pass to Gronkowski to convert a 3rd down where Cortez Allen made the tackle. Gronk and Allen were not on the field for this play, which means that both teams made a substitution. Even though Gronk left the field, the Patriots still had 3 WRs on the field. Yet the Steelers went back to their base defense, taking Allen off the field.
2. The Patriots had a play called that was designed to attack the personnel the Steelers had on the field. This is a simple matter of game-planning and play-calling. LeBeau called for what essentially amounted to a Cover Three concept while the Patriots had a play that was designed to decimate a zone defense. In all likelihood, the Patriots knew by this point that the Steelers weren't playing man coverage against their receivers and called a play designed to attack the zone. They got a zone, and got a big play.
3. The players did not execute the defense. What were the safeties doing? Ryan Clark totally ran himself out of position and out of the play. In leaving his side of the field, Clark allowed Amendola to run totally wide open. Troy had his head turned to the outside and didn't even see Amendola until it was too late. Also, I'm not sure what Ike was doing. From the looks of the defense, he was apparently supposed to be in a short zone, but there was no defensive back deep on his and Clark's half of the field.
4. The pass rush did not get there. Brett Keisel got some token pressure, but Brady was easily able to step away from it. The Steelers only rushed 4 on this play, but a good pass rush can make up for poor execution on the back end.

 So where do we go from here? Are there any positives to take away from this game? Well, if you looked at the box score and didn't watch the game, you would probably think something entirely different transpired. Ben Roethlisberger, in his own right, threw for 400 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Steelers broke the 30-point barrier for only the second time during Todd Haley's tenure (the other was in a 34-31 loss to the Raiders last year). As a team the Steelers totaled 110 yards rushing on just 18 attempts against the worst run defense in the league. Looking at all those numbers, you would only have one logical conclusion.

For the most part though, you would be wrong. The Steelers failed to execute at the most important times during the game. I detailed in my game preview that both the Steelers and the Patriots had been slow starters this season, and you would think that after spotting Oakland a 21-point lead last week there would have been some extra emphasis this week on starting fast and putting points on the board in the first quarter. How did this first quarter go?

Four drives, 71 yards, 9 minutes and 38 seconds of possession, and a 7-0 deficit. Two turnovers (fumble, interception) and a 3-and-out punt. Entering this game, the Steelers were 0-5 when committing two or more turnovers on the season. They committed 2 in the first quarter of this game, with the Patriots capitalizing on the interception and striking for a touchdown on the very next play. On their drive that carried over from the first to the second quarter they turned the ball over on downs.

The Steelers did come out of halftime and give us a glimmer of hope of what this team was capable of doing when they play to their potential. The defense created a turnover which led to a touchdown on a great throw from Ben to Cotchery. The defense stood tall again holding the Patriots to a 3-and-out and the offense countered with another touchdown to tie the game. In the scope of the second half, the defense held the Patriots in relative check (holding them to a field goal) on the next drive. 

The Steelers dug out of a field position hole and got across the 30. Then in two plays, the whole game changed. These two plays are the exact exemplification of the Steelers issues with performing in the clutch. They were down by only 3 and driving. Ben missed a wide open Heath Miller across the middle of the field and the Steelers were forced to punt. The Patriots showed a block, forcing the Steelers to bring their gunners in tight. In a situation where you HAVE to get hang time on a punt, even if it's a short kick, you can NOT out kick your coverage. Recently signed Matt McBriar did neither. He kicked a 41-yard line drive right to Julian Edleman who returned the kick 43 yards to set up the Patriots inside the Steelers 40. In two plays, the Steelers went from driving for a potential go-ahead score to having to defend the Patriots in a short field trying to extend their lead. Ben missed Heath and Matt McBriar made a horrible punt and the Special Teams unit gave up a big return. 

Yes. At 2-6, the Steelers season is effectively over. This team is not like the 2006 Steelers that can mount a second-half charge and hope to even finish at 8-8. This team has lost to Jake Locker, Andy Dalton, Jay Cutler, Matt Cassel and Terrelle Pryor. Tom Brady and the Patriots just shredded the defense for more points (55) and yards (610) than any Steelers defense has given up in the 81-year history of the team. As a team the Steelers gave up 197 rushing yards for the SECOND CONSECUTIVE WEEK. 

This sums everything up.

The Steelers will continue to play. There are 8 more games. We get another shot at Baltimore. We have a home game against Cincinnati. We will play Cleveland twice. Those games will be for bragging rights and pride. But after this game, the season is over. The best thing that can happen to the Pittsburgh Steelers is for it to be December 31. 

Gameday: New England Patriots

4:25pm

The House of Brady

TV: CBS

Radio: WDVE and other affiliates

What To Watch For

1. The Season-Defining Game

The Steelers have faced the Patriots 9 times during Tom Brady's career. Each of those 9 games, for better or worse, have defined the Steelers season. In 2001 and 2004 those games were AFC Championship games that propelled the Patriots to two Super Bowl victories. In October 2004, with rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger under center and the Patriots riding a 21-game winning streak, the Steelers knocked off the Patriots on Halloween night in the infamous "21 and done" game. There was the 2007 game where safety Anthony Smith guaranteed a Steelers victory then got torched by Tom Brady. There was the 2011 game that was the peak of the Steelers season, where they held Brady under 200 yards passing and Ben lit up the Patriots defense for 365 yards and the game was clinched on a safety after Keisel strip-sacked Brady on the final drive. One way or another, our games against New England have been the measuring stick for our seasons. With the loss in Oakland last week, the Steelers are essentially out of any playoff discussion, but a win over New England, especially in New England would be a defining moment in an otherwise vomit-inducing season.

2. Defending Rob Gronkowski

Since his return to the lineup two weeks ago, Brady has targeted Gronk 23 times. Given the inconsistency of the rest of the Patriots receivers, Brady has been forcing the ball to Gronk as much as he can. Last time these two teams met, the Steelers used cornerback Cortez Allen exclusively against Gronkowski and Allen basically shut him down. Given the Patriots lack of skill on the outside, defending Gronk will be the key to a successful defensive effort. Brady's receivers have been plagued by drops so badly this year that fantasy football players colloquially refer to them as Aaron Dropson and Kembrell Dropkins.

3. Starting Slow

The Steelers have gotten off to horrendously slow starts this season. In their 7 games they have scored only 2 touchdowns and kicked 5 field goals in their 27 first quarter drives. That's a mere 25% of their first quarter drives that have resulted in points on the board. Almost half (13 of 27) have resulted in punts and they have gone 3-and-out 10 times. Only once have the Steelers started a first quarter drive in opponents territory. The good news is that this is not a typical Patriots team that boasts a dominant offense. In fact, the Patriots first quarter numbers are only marginally better than the Steelers'. New England has scored on 30% of their first quarter drives, but the difference is that they have found the end zone 5 times and kicked 3 field goals. They have punted on over half of their first quarter drives but only gone 3-and-out 7 times in 26 drives. Both teams have started slow this year, but unlike New England, the Steelers are not built to come from two scores down and win a game. The offense will have to help the defense by putting points on the board early.

4. Two Turnovers

This is simple. In each of the Steelers 5 losses, they have committed 2 or more turnovers. In their two wins, they have committed less than 2 turnovers (none against the Jets, 1 against Baltimore). The barometer seems to be set. Even against Oakland when the defense created 3 turnovers, the offense could not overcome two of their own. If the Steelers give the ball up to Brady and the Patriots 2 or more times, they will lose.

5. A Banged Up Bunch

Aside from the players on IR, the Steelers are actually relatively healthy heading into this game. They were massacred on the offensive line last week and ended the game with Adams-Beachum-Velasco-Wallace-Gilbert after DeCastro, Foster and Whimper all suffered injuries. Of those three, only DeCastro will be out this week with an ankle injury. Marcus Wheaton remains out recovering from his broken finger and Curtis Brown is out after being excused from practice all week for non-injury reasons. On the other side, the Patriots lost two anchors of their defense - LB Jerrod Mayo and NT Vince Wilfork - for the season. They will also be without DT Tommy Kelly. This banged up defensive front has been the primary cause of the Patriots ranking 31st in the league in run defense. Their top two corners (Aqib Talib and Kyle Arrington) are both banged up but should play.

WPIAL Playoffs Round 1 Results

Here are the results from the first round of the WPIAL playoffs and the quarterfinal matchups.

AAAA

1. Upper St Clair 44, 16. Kiski 13
9. North Allegheny 28, 9. Bethel Park 0

4. Woodland Hills 35, 13. Pine-Richland 14
5. Seneca Valley 36, 12. Hempfield 10

3. McKeesport 54, 14. Peters Twp 28
6. Penn-Trafford 22, 11. Penn Hills 16

2. Central Catholic 56, 15. Baldwin 10
7. Gateway 31, 10. North Hills 21

Quarterfinal Matchups:

Upper St Clair vs North Allegheny

Woodland Hills vs Seneca Valley

McKeesport vs Penn-Trafford

Central Catholic vs Gateway

AAA

1. West Allegheny 38, 16. Hollidaysburg 6
9. Indiana 28, 8. Ringgold 14

4. Franklin Regional 43, 13. Montour 21
5. West Mifflin 47, 12. Moon 42

3. Central Valley 40, 14. Belle Vernon 7
6. Mars 38, 11. Elizabeth Forward 21

2. Thomas Jefferson 39, 15. Hampton 0
7. Highlands  24, 10. New Castle 19

Quarterfinal Matchups:

West Allegheny vs Indiana

Franklin Regional vs West Mifflin

Central Valley vs Mars

Thomas Jefferson vs Highlands

AA

1. Aliquippa 41, 16. South Park 0
8. Quaker Valley 29, 9. New Brighton 15

4. Mt Pleasant 48, 13. Valley 14
12. Beaver 42, 5. Shady Side Academy 21

14. Yough 57, 3. Kittanning 42
6. Beaver Falls 50, 11. Summit Academy 26

2. South Fayette 49, 15. Greensburg Central Catholic 0
10. Seton-La Salle 35, 7. Washington 27

Quarterfinal Matchups:

Aliquippa vs Quaker Valley

Mt Pleasant vs Beaver

Beaver Falls vs Yough

South Fayette vs Seton-La Salle

A

1. Sto-Rox 36, 16. Avella 7
9. Apollo-Ridge 42, 8. Beth-Center 28

4. Clairton 33, 13. Frazier 14
12. Fort Cherry 13, 5. Carmichaels 12

3. Monessen 37, 14. West Shamokin 14
6. Neshannock 40, 11. Brentwood 9

2. North Catholic 24, 15. Western Beaver 0
7. Avonworth 34, 10. Laurel 16

Quarterfinal Matchups:

Sto-Rox vs Apollo-Ridge

Clairton vs Fort Cherry

Monessen vs Neshannock

North Catholic vs. Avonworth