Getting Heat and Hits on Rivers a Sure Key to Success Sunday

The Steelers know a key to making sure they are playing a week from Sunday in the AFC Title game is to make sure that Philip Rivers does not have a happy Sunday in the Steel City. Rivers, a QB that has had great success against a number of teams this season, didn’t have a good game against the Steelers the first time around back on November 16th.

The Pro Bowl QB was just 15-for-26 for 159 yards with two intercpetions, no touchdowns and a QB rating of just 43.6. It was a game he’d like to forget, but a game the Steelers are hoping to have again against him and the rest of the Chargers offense, a unit that had just 213 net yards vs the Steelers the first time around.

One way to get to Rivers is simply to do the most basic thing any defense wants to do – get pressure on him. LB LaMarr Woodley knows that getting to Rivers and getting some early licks on him may make him gunshy. “We are the type of team that likes to bring the heat. We are the type of team that will go in there and hit quarterbacks,” Woodley said. “Each and every week we like to get in there and hit quarterbacks. When we go after quarterbacks, hopefully they make a few mistakes and we get a few turnovers to put our offense in good field position.”

He made three mistakes vs the Steelers, the two picks and then a fumble in the end zone that was picked up by a Chargers lineman and resulted into a Steelers safety in the 11-10 win. The Chargers leading pass catcher the last time around was LaDainian Tomlinson, who had just three catches for 40 yards.

Getting to Rivers like they did Matt Cassel, Tony Romo, and a number of other QB’s in the 2008 season will make it a lot easier to make sure Rivers and the Chargers offense does not get any confidence they can pull off the upset.