One of the main story lines going into Super Bowl XL revolves around veteran Pittsburgh running back Jerome ‘The Bus’ Bettis. The future Hall of Fame ball carrier would like nothing better to win this game in his hometown and then retire as a champion.
The Seattle defense will have something to say about this scenario, and ‘The Bus’ is no longer the Steelers’ featured back. Bettis will get his carries in short-yard situations and goal-line opportunities, but his chance for a big play will probably revolve around a trick play like a halfback pass. Bettis completed a touchdown pass last year against the New York Jets in a playoff win, while failing to complete a pass this postseason versus Cincinnati.
Bettis ranks third this postseason in rushing yards with 141, right ahead of backfield mate Willie Parker at 137. Both runners trail Seattle’s Shaun Alexander with 141 yards despite playing one more game than the reigning league MVP.
Parker ranked 12th in the league with 1,202 yards on the ground on 255 yards for a 4.7 yards per carry average during the regular season. Despite all the yards, the two-year veteran out of North Carolina only reached pay dirt four times. That’s where Bettis comes into play, scoring nine times while gaining 368 yards on 110 carries (3.3 ypc average).
That formula continued during Pittsburgh’s incredible postseason run as the sixth and final seed in the AFC playoffs. The Steelers have churned out an average of 115.3 yards per playoff game rushing, running 36.3 times per contest for 346 yards (3.2 ypc). Pittsburgh has four rushing touchdowns, and 24 first downs compliments of the ground game.
Coach Bill Cowher’s team ranked fifth in the league during the regular season in rushing, gaining an average of 138.9 yards per contest while recording 21 touchdowns. Pittsburgh also uses the ground game to its advantage once it gets a lead, bleeding the clock and keeping its defense off the field in the second half.
Seattle’s linebacking corps of middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu and outside backers Leroy Hill and D.D. Lewis is a talented group that helped the Seahawks earn the NFC’s top seed. Tatupu has risen above expectations during his rookie campaign, and will get serious consideration for the league’s rookie of the year.
The Southern Cal product was selected in the middle of the second round, meaning every team in the league had a shot at him. Expect some memos to be passed around coaching offices concerning their oversight.
Tatupu is the leader of this defense with 104 tackles (85 solo, 19 assisted) with four sacks, three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Hill was fourth on the team with 72 stops (51 tackles, 21 assists) and an impressive 7 ½ sacks. Lewis was no slouch from his outside position, recording 62 tackles (45 tackles, 17 assists). Hill is a rookie out of Clemson, while Lewis is a four-year veteran out of Texas. Maybe that youth will crumble under the Super Bowl microscope, but this trio has shined so far during the postseason.
Seattle ranked fifth in the league during the regular season in stopping the run, yielding an average of 94.4 yards per contest and five touchdowns. If the Seahawks can limit the Steelers to that kind of average Sunday, then expect them to take the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle cranked up its run defense with both its postseason victories, limiting Washington and Carolina to just 2.6 yards per carry. Those two teams ran a combined 37 times against the Seahawks, gaining just 95 yards with no touchdowns.
This is a critical aspect of Super Bowl XL, and should go quite a way in determining the winner. Neither side has a huge advantage, but I’m giving Pittsburgh the slight edge due to its veteran runners and the chance to send ‘The Bus’ off a winner.
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Pittsburgh RB's vs. Seattle's LB's
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Originally Posted by Scorpion
