Leonard Floyd and Akiem Hicks -- from corse178's blog
PITTSBURGH -- Its not the kind of shutout the Pittsburgh Steelers defense had in mind to start the season. http://www.nflcardinalsrookiestore.com/Cardinals-Budda-Baker-Jersey/.Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins dropped back to pass 43 times in Pittsburghs 38-16 victory in the opener last Monday. And 43 times Cousins was able to get the ball off without finding himself laying on the ground underneath someone clad helmet to cleats in black-and-gold.Sure, the Steelers won easily. Yet theyre well aware they need sacks if they want to slow down Cincinnati on Sunday.We have to get pressure, defensive end Cam Heyward said. You can cover up a lot when youre able to hit the quarterback. Weve got to put (Bengals quarterback) Andy (Dalton) on his butt. Thats as simple as its got to be.Even that might not be enough. Cincinnati edged the New York Jets 23-22 in Week 1 despite Dalton getting dropped a career-high seven times. When given time, Dalton carved up New Yorks secondary by finding do-everything wide receiver A.J. Green. Pittsburgh collected three sacks in each of its three meetings with the Bengals a year ago, doing it thanks to a variety of exotic blitz schemes designed by defensive coordinator Keith Butler.Yet the Steelers were decidedly more vanilla against Washington, often just rushing the front four and dropping seven and sometimes eight men into coverage to protect against the deep ball and give its secondary littered with inexperienced players all the help it could get.When you blitz, sometimes theres a little bit of a risk factor that they could make a big play on you, stuff like that, Butler said. A lot of times, we rushed three. Did we want more pressure than we got out of a four-man rush? Yes.The Redskins also relied heavily on a passing game that requires Cousins to get rid of the ball quickly. Rarely did he require a handful of seconds to throw it downfield. Yet thats hardly an excuse to Heyward. Pittsburghs already matched its total of sackless games from 2015, when it finished with 48 sacks in all, a nearly 50 percent jump from the 33 the Steelers collected in 2014.The pocket got awfully uncomfortable in the pocket for the opposing quarterback at times, helping the Steelers for 30 turnovers in 2015, a significant uptick from the 21 they forced in 2014. All that heat helped Pittsburgh make the playoffs for a second straight season despite finishing 30th in the league against the pass. While two of Cousins throws ended up in the arms of guys in a different colored jersey -- momentum-turning plays that served as the fuel for an eventual blowout -- Cousins passed for 329 yards and his jersey didnt even get dirty.Im not OK that we gave up yards, no, Butler said. At the same time, well get better, I think, as the year goes along. At the end of the day, its still about winning, not about how many yards we gave up or where were at defensively in the league. Would I like to be No. 1 in the league? Of course I would. At the same time, I want to make sure we win, too.Butler is likely to open up the playbook as the season goes on and rookie cornerback Artie Burns and rookie safety Sean Davis become more comfortable. Their development would allow Butler to get creative in finding ways to let outside linebackers James Harrison, Arthur Moats and Jarvis Jones get to work coming in off the edge.I felt like we were definitely creating the climate we wanted, Moats said. We got the turnovers we needed.Just no sacks. Something the Steelers know cant become a regular occurrence. Or else.I do think we have the guys, Heyward said. I have high goals for us and when we dont hit them, Im not going to be happy about it.Game notes WR Antonio Brown received a pair of fines from the NFL, one for the touchdown dance against Washington that drew a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct and another for wearing blue cleats, a violation of the leagues uniform policy. Brown did not rule out dancing again but added he didnt want to do anything to hurt the team. ... LB Ryan Shazier (knee) and WR Markus Wheaton (shoulder) are questionable. C Cody Wallace, CB Senquez Golson and FB Rosie Nix are out.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL http://www.nflcardinalsrookiestore.com/Cardinals-Larry-Fitzgerald-Jersey/ . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta. http://www.nflcardinalsrookiestore.com/Cardinals-Corey-Peters-Jersey/ . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. http://www.nflcardinalsrookiestore.com/ .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks aim for their third three-game winning streak of the season when they host the struggling Edmonton Oilers in Sundays battle at the United Center. CHICAGO -- Matt Barkley had a quick chat with his old coach after picking up his first career victory.It was a sweet moment for a veteran quarterback -- and not just because it came against Chip Kelly.Were on good terms, Barkley said. Im grateful for the fact that he brought me into this league. No hard feelings at all.Barkley shook off a slow start to throw for 192 yards, Jordan Howard ran for 117 yards and a career-high three touchdowns, and the Chicago Bears handed San Francisco its 11th straight loss, beating the 49ers 26-6 on a snowy Sunday.The 49ers (1-11) extended their franchise-record losing streak and set a club low with 6 yards net passing on a day when Colin Kaepernick got lifted for Blaine Gabbert.The Bears (3-9) finished with a season high in points and picked up a rare win in a matchup between two of the NFLs worst teams.Here are some things to know about the 49ers and Bears:CONFIDENT QB: Barkley has not played much in the NFL. But hes taking advantage of his opportunity with Jay Cutler out for the remainder of the season because of a shoulder injury and backup Brian Hoyer on injured reserve.Barkley led a late comeback that ultimately fell short in last weeks loss to Tennessee. He got off to a rough start in this one, going nearly the entire first half without a completion. But he adjusted his arm angle because of the conditions, led a touchdown drive near the end of the second quarter and finished 11 of 18 without an interception.I thought he improved, coach John Fox said.It was a decent showing by a quarterback who was drafted by Philadelphia in 2013 when Kelly was coaching the Eagles. Barkley wasnt a great fit for Kellys offense because he lacks mobility, and he wound up getting dealt to Arizona in 2015.Now, his confidence is soaring.Probably at an all-time high in this league, Barkley said. Just knowing that I can play, that we can make plays as an offense.QUARTERBACK CHANGE: The 49ers benched Kaepernick for Gabbert early in the fourth quarter. Whether that was a temporary switch or a more long-terrm move isnt clear. http://www.nflcardinalsrookiestore.com/Cardinals-Jermaine-Gresham-Jersey/. The 49ers play the New York Jets next week, and Kelly wasnt about to tip his hand.Kaepernick, meanwhile, said the switch caught him off guard.Its not my place to really argue on the sideline, said Kaepernick, who found out from quarterbacks coach Ryan Day. I want to make sure I do what I can to help this team win and that was the decision that was made so I am going to support my teammates.Kaepernick completed just 1 of 5 passes for 4 yards and was sacked five times. He also ran for 20 yards on six attempts before Gabbert replaced him in the fourth quarter.Gabbert was 4 of 10 for 35 yards and sacked for a safety near the end of the game.DRAFT BOARD: If there was one positive for the 49ers, its that they gave their odds of landing the No. 2 draft pick a boost. They also remain in the running for the No. 1 spot. Only the winless Browns have a worse record.STINGY DEFENSE: Despite a long line of injuries and inconsistent play, the Bears defense has ranked among the top half in the NFL all season. And against the struggling 49ers, that group was nothing short of dominant.The Bears got six sacks -- two each from Leonard Floyd and Akiem Hicks -- and gave up their lowest point total since a 41-3 romp over Jacksonville on Oct. 7, 2012.RUNNING WITH IT: Howard continues to impress as a rookie.The fifth-round draft pick out of Indiana has five 100-yard games and his three rushing TDs tied for the second most by a Bears rookie in a game. Willie Galimore (1957) and Rashaan Salaam (1995) also did it. The only Bears rookie to rush for more in a game was Hall of Famer Gale Sayers in 1965.Howard, who came in with two rushing touchdowns, scored on a 1-yard run near the end of the first half. He added a 2-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the third and a 5-yard run midway through the quarter.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL White NFL Jerseys Cheap Youth NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys China Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2019 Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Store Stitched Jerseys Wholesale NFL Womens Jerseys Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys Jerseys NFL China NFL T-shirts From China Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Youth NFL Jerseys China ' ' '
The Wall