SCOUTING BRIAN BATKO’S REPORT
The Steelers make the first of three trips to the West Coast when they take on the Los Angeles Rams. Steelers insider Brian Batko breaks down each aspect of Sunday’s game and lists the team’s keys to victory
☛ When the Steelers have the ball
You may have heard of Aaron Donald, who has 2.5 sacks so far this season, but he also has a promising young running mate in thirdround rookie Byron Young, an edge rusher with a team-high three sacks and 11 quarterback hits. Inside linebackers Ernest Jones and Christian Rozeboom aren’t big names but have made some splash plays. Former Steelers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon is their top cover guy and has two interceptions, while another familiar name is a secondbackup safety. Quentin Lake, son of Steelers great Carnell, is coming off a season-high 27 defensive snaps. Starting cornerback Derion Kendrick was arrested earlier this week on a felony concealed gun charge and missed practice early in the week.
☛ When the Rams have the ball
The Rams are the league leaders in three-wide receiver formations. Matthew Stafford is in the midst of a rebound season and isn’t just dinking and dunking his way to the tune of 279.5 yards per game. He’s pushing the ball downfield aggressively and accurately, most often to top target Cooper Kupp but also breakout rookie Puka Nacua. When they do run the ball, it tends to be outside the tackles, though starting running back Kyren Williams and backup Ronnie Rivers both are out with injuries, so the backfield is a murky mix of rookies and journeymen. Old friend Kevin Dotson is grading out well as the starting right guard, while the tackle tandem of Alaric Jackson (left) and Rob Havenstein (right) has been solid. The wild card is diminutive speedster Tutu Atwell, who often goes in motion and doesn’t touch the ball a lot, but is always a big-play threat when he does.
☛ Key mactchup Steelers offensive line vs. Rams DT Aaron Donald
The biggest emphasis this week in practice for the Steelers has been trying to minimize the ability of No. 99 to wreck the game. Everyone knows Donald, and not just because he starred at Penn Hills High School and Pitt, which put his name Eyes are always working on its side of the same building where the Steelers work each day. He’s already an NFL legend, adding a third NFL Defensive Player of the Year award since the last time the Steelers faced him in 2019. Donald, now 32, could show up anywhere along the line of scrimmage, which means all five Steelers offensive linemen need to be on alert. “He’s not only physically extremely gifted, but he plays with a high football IQ,” said Steelers left guard Isaac Seumalo. “He knows formations and where the back’s at. He’s one of the best, if not the best.” The most recent time the Steelers dealt with Donald, they made the atypical move to shuffle their offensive line for one week only. In that game, they shifted Matt Feiler from right tackle to left guard in place of B.J. Finney and inserted Chuks Okorafor as a starter. The Steelers won, 17-12, but one of their two touchdowns was a defensive score and Donald had a sack for a safety, three tackles for loss and three quarterback hits. Okorafor is the only Steelers linman left from the unit that blocked him that day, but Seumalo, center Mason Cole and right guard James Daniels have matched up with him a combined 11 times. “I feel like the biggest thing is he’s super smart,” Daniels said. “He knows, like, our run combos. He knows when you say things, or he knows our plays if we’re lined up in a certain formation. And you can see it. Yeah, he’s super quick and all that, but just reacting sometimes before the ball’s even snapped. He’s always standing up, looking around, looking at splits. He does a really good job reading that stuff.”