Jerome Bettis likely will miss his third consecutive game on Sunday, but that no longer spells doom for the Steelers and their suddenly vibrant new offense.
The Steelers did quite nicely without Bettis against two AFC playoff contenders, beating the New York Jets, 18-7, and Baltimore Ravens, 26-21.
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Steelers running back Jerome Bettis shares the stage with David Letterman on Letterman's CBS late-night talk show last night in New York. Bettis told Letterman that if not this week against Detroit, he'd be back for the Steelers' game at Cincinnati Dec. 30. (The Associated Press) |
Coach Bill Cowher, reversing his field on Bettis from 36 hours earlier, listed him "doubtful" to play Sunday against the 1-12 Detroit Lions at Heinz Field because of a lingering groin/hip injury. After their victory in Baltimore Sunday night, Cowher predicted Bettis would be near 100 percent this week and probably play.
"If I misled you, I do apologize," said Cowher, who blamed it on the emotion of the victory Sunday night. "I was probably a little premature in making some assessments at that time."
Cowher, aware of reports on local radio that Bettis would not play again this season, including the playoffs, assured everyone that he would.
Several Steelers sources insist that Bettis could play if necessary, and the Bus has been lobbying Cowher the past two weeks to play him. Cowher said Bettis' groin injury is not similar to one that has kept Fred Taylor out for much of the season in Jacksonville in which the muscle pulled away from the bone.
Bettis appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman on CBS-TV last night and, while he was not permitted to talk about his injury last week to reporters, he told Letterman that "We're looking at this week, if not this week, definitely next week" for him to return to the Steelers' lineup.
While Cowher declared the Steelers' top priority as gaining the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed and the first-round bye and homefield advantage that go with it, he indicated that Bettis will be saved for more important games than that against the lowly Lions.
"It is really relative to where you are in regards to our football team in the post-season and trying to do things that keep everybody healthy going in [to the playoffs] and not to jeopardize the opportunity we have to secure the home-field advantage," Cowher said. "We don't want to do that, but you have to weigh what is important."
The Steelers can clinch a first-round bye and at least one home playoff game if they win Sunday and Miami loses. They are one game ahead of the Oakland Raiders for the No. 1 seed with three games to play. The No. 1 seed earns a that first-round bye and a home playoff game, and, if that team wins its home playoff game, it is at home for the AFC championship, too.
The Steelers can earn the No. 1 seed even if they lose to Detroit, and the Raiders win all three of their remaining games. The tiebreaker between the two is their AFC records. The best Oakland can do is a 13-3 overall record with a 10-2 record in the AFC. The Steelers can lose to the NFC Lions, then beat Cincinnati and Cleveland to finish tied with the Raiders at 13-3 but have an 11-2 conference record, which would give them the top seed.
"We understand the significance of the homefield advantage, of playing and having everything come through Pittsburgh, come through Heinz Field with the way our fans respond," Cowher said. "We have been a part of that before and we would like to have whoever it may be come through here and play two games before you play the big one.
"So, getting a bye week is big. The pluses to it far outweigh any negatives anybody can attach to it. Then, playing two home games after that is big. That is what we are playing for."
Giving Bettis an unprecedented third consecutive week off won't necessarily hurt them. Bettis has long been their weapon in controlling a game and running up their time of possession. Without him, however, they kept the ball on offense for 41 minutes, five seconds against the Ravens, their longest time of possession this season. Against the Jets, they held it for 36:53, their third-longest.
Bettis led the league in rushing with 1,072 yards after 11 games. He has slipped to sixth after missing two consecutive games for the first time in his career. He had missed only three games before his recent inactivity and now likely will miss his third in a row. NFL rushing leader Priest Holmes of Kansas City has 195 yards more than Bettis.
The Steelers haven't missed the bus without him, and not having him against the Lions does not pose the kind of problem it might have before Kordell Stewart and the passing game came alive. Stewart threw for a career-high 333 yards against Baltimore and 214 against the Jets. They had their two best games at converting third downs into first downs, too, making 11 of 18 against the Jets and 9 of 15 against the Ravens.
"I don't think it diminishes how important he is to our football team," Cowher said. "I think it just has shown the quality of players that we have around him . . . It is the other guys, the quarterback stepping up, the receivers stepping up, the offensive line stepping up."
Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, who started both games in his place at tailback, has not been productive. He rushed for just 50 yards on 21 carries against New York and 15 yards on nine carries against Baltimore.
Amos Zereoue replaced Fuamatu-Ma'afala in Baltimore and ran for 73 yards on 16 carries, hitting holes quicker. The trouble is, he left near the end of the game after a reinjury to his shoulder separated on Oct. 29. Cowher listed Zereoue as questionable for the game Sunday against Detroit.
Fuamatu-Ma'afala averages 3.3 yards a carry, Zereoue 4.9 and Bettis 4.8.
Zereoue has had to overcome the pain in his shoulder by taking medication before games. He may be able to do it again Sunday. If he cannot, Fuamatu-Ma'afala and fullbacks Jon Witman and Dan Kreider would be their only backs. Cowher said they would not bring in other backs.
"You want to earn the homefield advantage," Cowher said, "and you would like to have everybody as healthy as possible going into that. Those are a lot of decisions that are being made."
In reverse: Cowher shifts gears, may park Bus for one more game 
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