OFFICIAL PREDICTION THREAD - Game 14 - Steelers vs. Falcons

[Crimsonsteel]

SteelerInLebanon won last week's thread, nailing the Steelers' score and missing the other by 2 points. This week I really wish I could go considering it's only two hours away from home. Nonetheless, I am bound to an early family Christmas celebration on my side of the fam. Anywho, three points of emphasis.

1. The Falcons always play us tough.
2. We keep losing to sub .500 teams.
3. We typically have won when I pick a loss.

Therefore....

Steelers 27
Falcons 30

 

[Steel G]

Tomlin's Team Obvious - 31
Desirous Birds of Aviation and things of that Nature - 42

 

[Scott T]

Steelers 48
Falcons 38

 

[F83]

Steelers 33
Falcons 26

 

[Ron Burgundy]

Tomlin has had enough public humiliation in the media over his team's inability to beat teams with a losing record, especially away, unleashes hell and the full fury of the Cool Shades, and through force of sheer willpower and turning over every stone back at the lab ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY REFUSES TO ALLOW THE STEELERS TO LOSE.

Hotlanta 51
Haley's Comets 38

There is literally no point in picking this team to beat a team with a losing record. They can't do it.*

*I would love to be proven wrong.

 

[Hineswardkickedurpanzyass]

We finally win one on the road vs a crap opponent. Ben goes for 350 yards and Bell goes 120 on the ground and 60 receiving.
Stillers 40
Southern Birds 24

 

[Ghost of Frenchy Fuqua]

Steelers 27, Falcons 20

 

[Wingman]

I really do not like the way this game is unfolding.
Negatives:
We go on the road. We face a desperate team. The team has a high scoring offense. The team we play is desperate for a chance at the division. They have a bad record. They have a major part of their offensive unit dinged and may have to make changes that no one is ready for we do not know yet. We still have a very dinged up secondary unit that is not real good even when not dinged up. Our linebackers are not what they once were. Our defensive line is not what it was. Our offense has still failed to show it can be consistent.
Positives:
Last game MT made more than one good decision, he might do it again.
Last game the team started slow but kept punching until they got a break.
Last game the defense played a good quarter and made some plays at other points to hold a team with some good weapons to 21 points.
MT gave the team a day off (poor choice) but the players over ruled him and showed up to work on Monday.
The team seems to be focused on trying to find a way to win instead of talking about finding a way to win.

History would seem to indicate that the steelers drop this game and the next two to finish at 8 and 8 again. There are always anomalies to patterns. This is the anomaly the steelers will win and win big 38 to 16.

 

[TazManianDevil]

Hoping for a win but getting ready for a defeat

Steelers 28
Dirty Birds 24

 

[Confluence]

Steelers 38
Falcants 27

 

[Drink IRON City]

STEELERS 34

atlanta 27


Bell keeps 200+ alive


Salute the nation

 

[DBS1970]

Steelers blow this one.

48-21 Foulcoons.

 

[TDX27]

If we are going to lose one game and still make the playoffs, this would be it. However, I never pick against my Steelers under any circumstance.

Steelers - 37
Falcons - 30

 

[Lmob0621]

Steelers 34
Falcons 31

 

[Troglodyte]

I'm sure they don't see this but I would really like for the Steelers players, coaches, and owners to know how many fans are picking them to fall on their faces a week after beating Cincinatti.

Steelers 30
Falcons 35

 

[CharlesDavenport]

I have to make this prediction. The Steelers will come out flat, fresh off a short practice week, and Atlanta will beat them like NO did, minus the garbage TD at the end. 35-24 NO.

 

[Omar10213245]

Steelers 21
Falcons 31

 

[ExUSAF]

Falcons hung 37 on the Packers, and Green Bay has a better defense than we do by far. Julio Jones is the unknown factor here. With him in the game, even as a decoy, we lose. Falcons 33 Steelers 30 to keep Tomlin's streak of losing to sub-.500 teams intact.

 

[wig]

Much as a guy hates to say it Ron Burgandy nails it.

Tomlin and the team fail to see it although it's right in front of their eyes. They simply CANNOT figure out a way to beat lousy teams. Especially on the road. They'll somehow find a way to come out flat, then make a big run late in the game but still not quite have enough in the tank to make up the deficit.

There's no amount of self-motivation bullshit that can help this team get over the fact that they simply overlook teams like the Falcons and the Saints and the Bucs and the Jets. That's 4 more wins the Steelers could have right there. (Yes, I've already written off the Falcons game. I have no expectation that they'll win that one. Frankly I was stunned that they came back and won last week. Not because I'm not a fan, but because it's so like this new team to get into a fall-behind position and then go into Tomlin fetal position and manage to come up just short enough...

 

[deljzc]

Losing teams on the road are this team's nemesis....

I'm picking 'em to lose because that's when they seem to win. If they win out, they also reach my season prediction of 11-5.

Atlanta 30
Steelers 20

 

[bigtwnvin]

Tomlin has had enough public humiliation in the media over his team's inability to beat teams with a losing record, especially away,[/SIZE] unleashes hell and the full fury of the Cool Shades, and through force of sheer willpower and turning over every stone back at the lab ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY REFUSES TO ALLOW THE STEELERS TO LOSE.

Hotlanta 51
Haley's Comets 38

There is literally no point in picking this team to beat a team with a losing record. They can't do it.*

*I would love to be proven wrong.

Do I think the Steelers Defense is better than Green Bays? Yup
Do I think the Steelers can score handily both in the air and on the ground against Atlanta's Defense? Absolutely
Do I think Tomlin & Co will have this team properly prepared and go into Atlanta with a sound game plan for winning? Nope
Time for playmakers to make a difference. This will be the game where the final two -three games will reveal the real contenders or the fakers.
BTW yesterday on ESPN Sirius Mad Dog Sports the talk surrounding the AFCN is the Rats are the dark horse team that can win the division.
I hope this Steeler team can somehow prevail, win out and put a stamp on the regular season by ripping the nuts off of Marvin Lewis and his Bengals at Heinz Field.

 

[FordFairLane]

Since the Steelers lose to bad teams.

38- Falcons
31- Steelers

 

[wig]

I totally see the Rats as the Dark Horse except that they aren't really the Dark Horse. They're simply the most physical team in the division and it's my experience that the most physical team generally comes out on top 7 or 8 times out of 10 except for flukes or injury.

Given that expectation they're hardly a "dark horse". You have to EXPECT them to somehow rise to the top. Unless the Bengals or the Steelers sneak their way in with the bullshit chicanery they've been playing (That's right Tomlin... I'm talking to you, you giant epic *****,) you have to assume the toughest team in the division is going to weather the season.

If one accepts "survival of the fittest" you can hardly look at the Steelers vs the Ravens and actually believe we're the "fittest" right now. Three of our offensive linemen got into a fight with a free agent scrub because he was "practicing too hard" after a loss to the Saints who got beaten so badly the following week the coach has started CUTTING guys.

Ya... Tomlin's got this team RIGHT WHERE HE WANTS EM!

 

[Ron Burgundy]

Much as a guy hates to say it Ron Burgandy nails it.

Tomlin and the team fail to see it although it's right in front of their eyes. They simply CANNOT figure out a way to beat lousy teams. Especially on the road. They'll somehow find a way to come out flat, then make a big run late in the game but still not quite have enough in the tank to make up the deficit.

There's no amount of self-motivation bullshit that can help this team get over the fact that they simply overlook teams like the Falcons and the Saints and the Bucs and the Jets. That's 4 more wins the Steelers could have right there. (Yes, I've already written off the Falcons game. I have no expectation that they'll win that one. Frankly I was stunned that they came back and won last week. Not because I'm not a fan, but because it's so like this new team to get into a fall-behind position and then go into Tomlin fetal position and manage to come up just short enough...

Karma sent. If they win this one count me the most shocked man in western PA. Apparently Vegas has the Steelers at a 1.5 point favorite.

 

[POP]

I have been off line the last 4 days am finally back up and running. Only had 300 emails to answer. But it's good to be back!

Here is my take on this one.

1. Atl does always play us tough.
2. Atl has a bad record, but that is mostly from injuries and those players are now back (Julio Jones. He is back with a vengeance and that spells trouble for our D.)
3. Atl is still in a race for their div. since it is so bad. They never quit vs. GB even though I switched channels by the first half. They are going to give us a full effort.
4. A dome team at home is usually a tough win for anyone.
5. A dome passing home team is a disaster vs. this D. Heck, a dome passing team in OUR HOUSE (Saints) was a disaster for us.
6. We need to ring up 34+ on the scoreboard to win, but we can.

I just don't like this match up. That being said, if we ARE a legit contender, we win the last 3 games; if we don't, we won't and we will just know we are just another so so team. If we run the table, we are legit.

Dirty Birds 38
Steelers 31