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San Francisco holds a slim 10-9 edge in its all-time series with Pittsburgh, with the Steelers closing the gap with a 37-16 home rout when these teams last met in 2007. The 49ers had taken four of the previous five bouts in the set prior to that loss, including a 30-14 verdict at Candlestick Park in 2003. The Steelers last won in San Francisco on Nov. 7, 1999, a 27-6 victory.

 

Even if Roethlisberger (3526 passing yards, 21 TD, 11 INT) does manage to play, the Steelers' offensive game plan will probably be altered somewhat because of his reduced mobility. Normally a team that likes to stretch the field with its pairing of fleet-footed wide receivers Mike Wallace (62 receptions, 1034 yards, 8 TD) and Brown (55 receptions, 925 yards, 2 TD), both of whom are averaging over 16 yards a catch this season, Pittsburgh may decide to lean more on running backs Rashard Mendenhall (710 rushing yards, 8 TD, 13 receptions) and Isaac Redman (353 rushing yards, 1 TD, 14 receptions) in this one. It's not the desired strategy, however, as lead back Mendenhall has had a disappointing year after posting career bests of 1,273 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in 2010, having recorded just one 100-yard effort while working behind a shuffled front line that's dealt with injuries throughout the season. One of those occurred in the Cleveland game, with standout center Maurkice Pouncey incurring an ankle sprain of his own that his status up in the air as well for Monday. The 37- year-old Batch has attempted just 53 passes over the past three years, but did make a pair of starts in place of a suspended Roethlisberger last season and threw for three touchdowns in a win at Tampa Bay in one of those assignments.

 

Another reason why the Steelers may not want to go run-heavy is the strength of San Francisco's sturdy defense in that department. The 49ers have limited the opposition to a league-lows of 70.5 rushing yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry and have yet to give up a touchdown on the ground this season, while the team's string of 35 consecutive contests without permitting an individual 100- yard rusher is the third-longest in the NFL since 2000. The unit may not have its best stopper on Monday, though, with All-Pro inside linebacker Patrick Willis (93 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) highly questionable with a hamstring strain that kept him out of last week's loss as well. The Niners were still able to hold Arizona to a mere 55 rushing yards on 23 totes with him out, with emerging star linebacker NaVorro Bowman (113 tackles) and rugged lineman Justin Smith (47 tackles, 6.5 sacks) leading the charge. Skelton came up with 282 passing yards and three touchdowns off the bench, however, with two of those scoring deliveries from 46 yards out or more. The secondary does contain two members with five interceptions each this year in cornerback Carlos Rogers (35 tackles, 15 PD) and free safety Dashon Goldson (54 tackles), while impressive rookie Aldon Smith (27 tackles, 10.5 sacks) and Ahmad Brooks (39 tackles, 6 sacks) offer two quality edge rushers from the outside linebacker positions.

 

San Francisco generally employs a conservative, ball-control philosophy that's been highly effective when workhorse running back Frank Gore (1054 rushing yards, 6 TD, 16 receptions) is at his best. That was certainly the case when the hard-nosed veteran ripped off five consecutive 100-yard games during a midseason tear, but he's been less of a factor down the stretch while fighting through some nagging injuries. The 49ers still sit seventh in the NFL in rushing offense (126.9 ypg) and have a league-low 10 giveaways on the year, with cerebral quarterback Alex Smith (2565 passing yards, 15 TD, 5 INT) having a fine season in what's been essentially a caretaker's role. There are some issues to sort out for the playoffs, though. San Francisco is at the bottom of the standings in red-zone execution, having produced touchdowns on an unwanted 35.6 percent of such drives, and Smith has been sacked 18 times over the past three weeks after being taken to the turf on five occasions by the Cardinals. The former No. 1 overall pick may be without his blind-side protector on Monday as well, with left tackle Joe Staley questionable after sustaining a concussion against Arizona. San Francisco doesn't throw the ball a whole lot, but young wide receiver Michael Crabtree (55 receptions, 2 TD) and athletic tight end Vernon Davis (49 receptions, 5 TD) have both been reliable targets for Smith.

 

Without question, what will transpire at the quarterback position for Pittsburgh will have a big impact on the outcome of this game. Though Batch is serviceable and experienced, it would be a stretch to believe he'll be able to slice through a top-tier defense like San Francisco's without a hitch, and it's a must that the Steelers mount some semblance of a passing threat because the 49ers are so good against the run. Even at far less than 100 percent, Roethlisberger gives his team its best chance of winning, though Pittsburgh's explosiveness on offense may be reduced if his arm strength is affected by the injury.

 

Pittsburgh is going to have to rely on its defense whether or not Roethlisberger suits up, and how the AFC powerhouses perform on that side of the ball is often an indicator of their success. The Steelers are 9-0 when giving up 306 total yards or less this season, and the 49ers average only a shade above that number on offense for the year.

 

OVERALL ANALYSIS

 

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Steelers 20, 49ers 16

 

Knox was taken off the field on a stretcher after taking a hard hit during Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks.

 

"Johnny has total movement throughout his body, has total use of all his extremities, which is good," Bears head coach Lovie Smith said after the game. "We're doing tests right now, but he has total movement. He is not paralyzed or anything like that."

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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

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