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Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan
Secondly, I would think the Ravens defense had an awful lot to do with the Steelers being within reach at the end of the game. Yes, the Cards D has been very good in the playoffs (sans the second half on Sunday, yikes!) but it doesn't compare to either the Steelers defense or the Ravens. To say otherwise is really silly. In fact, that's more silly than saying the Cards don't have a chance.
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That may be true during the regular season, but the Cardinals defense is giving up just as much yardage as the Raven's defense and turning over the ball just as much in the post-season.
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As far as the Steelers being heads and shoulders above the rest of the league, they certainly are on defense. Not a single team put up 300 yards on the Steelers this year. They led the league in yardage allowed by 24 yards. That's a staggering gap. That lead is almost all in the passing side of the game too, where they led the league by 23 yards less per game. Huge margin and a statistic that doesn't bode well for the Cardinals pass happy offense which, while loaded with talent, will quickly become very one dimensional when the worst running game in the league can't provide any balance.
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It's funny - the Cardinals get ripped for winning all their division games in an admittedly weak division. The Steelers play in a division against Baltimore, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. The latter two teams are ranked #31 and #32 in total yardage. That staggering gap is a byproduct of those 6 games against terrible offenses.
That's not to say that Pittsburgh isn't the best defensive team in the league because they are. But Philadelphia's D was ranked #3 and if they switch divisions with Pittsburgh they could easily have been #1. The Cardinals just put up 32 points on Philly with no points off of turnovers and no big special teams plays.
It's funny you bring up the Cardinals alleged one-dimensional attack...yet they sit forth among playoff teams in yards/game rushing. That includes a 100 yard game against the Eagles who are just as good as the Steelers at stopping the run.